It is unlikely that safety barriers will be installed at all Sydney train stations following the tragedy in which a pram carrying two little girls rolled onto the tracks.
Sydney commuters have called for greater safety on platforms after a pram carrying two-year-old twins fell onto the tracks at Carlton station on Sunday.
The girls’ father, Anand Runwal, 40, jumped from the platform and bravely tried to save the girls. them, but a passing train hit him, killing him and one of his daughters, Hilal.
Mr Runwal’s wife, Poonam, watched in horror and screamed for her husband and children.
A woman had to hold Ms Runwal back as rescuers jumped onto the tracks to find her family.
Miraculously, Hilal’s twin sister Hiya was pulled from under the train and survived the accident ‘with barely a scratch’.
Authorities have yet to determine what may have caused the stroller to roll away.
Three days later, Sydney Trains CEO Matt Longland admitted that installing crash barriers across the network would be a huge challenge.
Anand Runwal, 40 (right in the photo) jumped from the platform and bravely tried to save his two little girls Hilal and Hiya, but a passing train hit him and Hilal, killing them.
He said the size of Sydney’s rail network, which consists of 500 platforms and different types of trains, presented significant logistical and structural challenges.
The [train] doors are spaced at different distances, so for a platform screen door to work effectively it must be precisely aligned with the train doors as they stop on the platform,’ Mr Longland said 7 News.
‘And the signaling system must ensure that the train can stop at exactly that point on the platform.’
The guardrails commuters are demanding are glass barriers that separate a platform from the train tracks. They are widely used in metro stations around the world.
The barricades were placed at eight recently opened Underground stations, including Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street, Central, Waterloo and Sydenham.
The barricades are also already in place at stations on the Sydney Metro Northwest line between Tallawong and Chatswood.
“The key to platform doors is a consistent fleet and designing the platform doors around operation, as we have seen with the new Sydney Metro network,” Mr Longland said.
He said several safety measures are already being implemented in the network, including a platform gap filler.
The rubber strip is placed on the platforms to fill the space between the platform and the train and prevents belongings and passengers from falling through the opening.
Authorities have yet to determine what caused the stroller to tip over. Police are still investigating the incident (photo shows police at the police station).
Hilal (left) and Hiya (right) Runwal
Mr Longland said the measure had been introduced at 19 stations and more security measures would be introduced once police had completed their investigation.
“We will of course consider all recommendations to ensure that we ensure safety across the network,” he said.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said he would not install the barriers until he was briefed on how they would be installed.
Earlier on Wednesday, Michael Maartensz, principal owner and advisor at Railway Safety 101, told Daily Mail Australia the horrific accident was caused by a “tragic combination of circumstances”.
According to Mr Maartensz, it appeared that the pram had been left unattended for a short time and that a gust of wind, combined with the slope of the platform, pushed the pram onto the rails.
He said passenger or platform doors could have prevented the accident.
“They are intended to prevent people from accidentally getting too close to moving trains at stations,” said Mr Maartensz.
‘In this case the stroller would have simply hit the passenger door and stopped. That is the ultimate solution.’
The surviving toddler was taken to St George’s Hospital with her mother, who was on the platform when the accident happened. The pair have since been discharged.
New South Wales police are investigating what caused the stroller to overturn and suspect a simple ‘gust of wind’ may have caused the accident.
Passengers have suggested that glass barriers installed at new Sydney Metro stations should also be installed on train station platforms
NSW Police are investigating what caused the pram to roll and suspect a simple ‘gust of wind’ may have caused the accident (Photo: Flowers at Carlton Station in Sydney)
Supervisor Paul Dunstan said the parents appeared to have only taken their hands off the pram “momentarily” before it rolled towards the track.
Mr Maartensz said the Office of the National Railway Safety Authority would also launch an independent investigation into the deaths at Carlton Station.
Mr Maartensz said the investigation will determine the cause of the incident and make important recommendations for the industry on how to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
“It is a serious incident with fatalities. The operators and the sector will undoubtedly take this seriously,” said Mr Maartensz.
Sydney Trains advises passengers to stand behind the yellow line on platforms and wait for the train to come to a complete stop before boarding.
Passengers are also urged to take into account the distance between stops before boarding or alighting.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Transport for NSW for further comment.