Urban rail safety: Lessons from the US
The tragic accident that occurred at an escalator of Beijing Metro Line 4 on July 5, 2011, is shocking to many people in China. It has triggered intensive discussion among netizens about the causes of the accident.
Naturally, metro riders express their concerns with metro safety. Their concerns are legitimate. As cities are rapidly building and expanding metro systems, more and more people will use metros regularly. Safety is one of the key factors in their choices for the mode of transportation.
It may take time for the investigation to reach a final conclusion what caused the accident. Thus it is too early to say what specific actions are needed to prevent the same type of accidents from happening again. There are, however, some general lessons from other metro systems around the world that are appropriate to consider.
