Metro safety rules: how to behave at stations and on the train to avoid problems

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How to protect yourself from theft and sexual harassment, where to find a doctor on the subway, and what to do if you fall off the platform.

Everyone knows that the metro is a danger zone. But we use it every day, so the instructions “how to ride the subway properly” seem silly. Everything is obvious: I sat down and went, we don't read the rules for operating the bus, do we? Immunity to official instructions, no matter how human language they are written, also interferes. However, during six months of my life in Moscow, I faced several dangerous situations in the subway at once and now I know how they could have been avoided.

At the entrance and exit of the metro: hold the doors

The old wooden doors have not been changed since the opening of the first stations. The doors at the Smolenskaya station weigh 110 kg: to open them, you need to make an effort, as if you were lifting 10 kg. Stations built after 1959 had aluminum doors. They are three times lighter, but because of the piston effect they are called "crazy". If you do not fit into the rhythm of their movement, you will have to see a doctor.

The good news: aluminum doors will gradually be replaced with new ones that are fireproof and less traumatic. Worse news: the heavy wooden doors will be preserved as a cultural heritage site.

What to remember

Use free passages / doors. Hold doors for others. In a strong draft, open the door towards yourself so as not to hit those coming from behind.

On the escalator: be careful in your dress and stiletto heels

I have never seen passengers sitting on the steps of the escalator. But I regularly hear stories about chewed clothes and shoes. My friend got off with a torn skirt, but this could have been avoided.

Accidents happen when the edges of long clothes or laces get caught in the gap between moving and stationary parts of the escalator. Note the special brushes on the sides of the escalator and the yellow stripes on the steps. Their job is to keep you from getting too close to the stationary parts of the escalator.

If your clothes or shoes are chewed

Make a noise, wave your arms to stop the escalator. The neighbors in the chain will pass your request on to the dispatcher on duty. If you can, remove the item of clothing or shoes that are chewed up. Keep your balance.

If the escalator suddenly stops

Stay in place and hold on tightly to the handrails. Wait for instructions from the person on duty.

If other passengers have problems

Use the Stop switch to stop the escalator.

At the station: step away from the edge of the platform

Everyone I talked to about safety in the subway asked how to escape the train on the rails. It's amazing: instructions and posters are hanging everywhere, and we are still arguing whether to go to bed or run.

Two dangers await a person who has fallen from the platform: a contact rail with a voltage of 825 V and a train arriving at a speed of 60 km / h. The contact rail is covered with an orange casing, runs along the platform, hidden under the edge of the platform. How to protect yourself from the train?

If you fall and don't see the train

1. Do not go near the edge of the platform (there is a contact rail).
2. Run to the beginning of the platform in the direction of the train.
3. Stop behind a black and white rail and wait for help.

If you fall and the train is approaching

1. Lie in the tray between the rails with your head facing the train, face down.
2. Remove the backpack from your back, hold the flaps of your outerwear and do not move.
3. Wait for help.

If someone else fell on the tracks

1. Give a stop signal to the train driver: make circular movements with your hands.
2. Call for help: press the SOS button on the red and blue emergency terminal.

On the train: don't lean against the carriage doors

The doors can open while driving, if an accident has occurred or the toggle switch for opening the doors is triggered in the driver's cab.

Doors may open from the wrong side. My friend and I chatted and listened to the driver's announcement. The doors parted right behind. We kept our balance, but it would have been more difficult for a drunk or elderly person. Do not lean against the carriage doors, this is a bad habit.

If you fall onto a platform and are injured

Seek help from a metro employee or press SOS at the red and blue terminal in the lobby.

If the doors are opened while the train is in motion

Move away from the doors. Call the emergency driver and report the incident. What is the number of the carriage, it is indicated on the box of the calling device.

If the train stops in a tunnel and the doors open

Stay inside the carriage. Wait for instructions from the driver.

Human Factors: Theft and Harassment

How to resist thieves

A man jumped out from behind me and grabbed my bag by the belt. At that moment, I held her tightly, so the thief jumped on the departing train without my things. Otherwise, I would have to restore maps and documents, which would take from 10 days to a month.

On the platform, keep things in front of you or press them to you: usually thieves pull them out just before the doors close. If you feel that something is wrong, turn around sharply and step to the side. If you see someone stealing from another, make a fuss.

What to do if you get robbed

Remember the time of the incident, the number of the carriage and the signs of the criminal. Report theft:

• the SOS button through the red and blue terminal in the lobby;
• to the car driver on emergency communication;
• any subway employee at the station.

How to deal with harassment

I discussed the topic of safety on the subway with 10 friends. Five of them identified sexual harassment as the main problem.

In a closed carriage, there is nowhere to go, it is noisy and crowded around, so strangers spread their hands with impunity. If they do not meet with resistance, they move on to more active actions.

In one of these situations, I managed to jump out of the car. Took time, then pushed the rapist away and jumped into the station before the doors closed. In another, I was successfully pushed back by the crowd. After that, I had to go to a psychologist. Now I know how to behave in such situations, but I prefer to return home before 10 pm or by taxi.

1. In the evening and at night, return to the company, stay overnight at a party or call a proven taxi.
2. Choose crowded carriages. If you become the object of unwanted attention, sit with the passengers who inspire confidence.
3. During rush hours, in a crowded carriage, the aggressor feels free: his actions are invisible to the crowd. Outsiders ignore harassment situations because they consider the harassing man to be your companion. Seek help from a specific man from the crowd loudly and clearly, looking in the face, with the words: “Help me, this person is behaving inappropriately. I do not know him. I'm scared, can I hide behind you? " It's okay to show fear. They will help you when they understand what is happening and what kind of protection is needed: change places, push the aggressor away from you.
4. In a half-empty carriage or passage, there is usually another type of aggressor who is ready to move from dirty hints to violent actions. As a rule, these are not hooligans, but people with mental disorders. A few passengers or passers-by will get scared and leave you alone with the aggressor. At the first suspicion, contact the emergency car driver, the station attendant, or press the SOS button on the red and blue terminal in the lobby for help.

The following depends on the woman - to work with a sense of shame, if it interferes with defense. You need to be careful: sometimes it is better to distract yourself from the book or player. Be prepared to ask for help. And set a speed dial on the phone to a person with whom there is such an agreement.

Natalia Potapenkova psychologist

Where to get medical help

There are 200 doctors working in the metro from 5:30 am to 1:00 am. They have a first aid kit and equipment to call an ambulance immediately.

At every stationthere are red and blue emergency call columns in the lobby. Press the SOS button and your call will instantly go to the situation center. Inform at which station the person became ill, if you can, describe the symptoms. Ambulance doctors will arrive at the station in 3-5 minutes.

In every carriagethere is a button for emergency communication with the driver. Inform about an emergency and state the number of the carriage indicated on the intercom. Ambulance doctors will meet the injured person at the nearest station.

Each station attendant there is a first aid kit. The person on duty can be recognized by the red headdress.

There are information terminals with an SOS button at every Moscow metro station. Calls are received by the operators of the situation center. A camera is built into the column, you will be heard and seen

There are information terminals with an SOS button at every Moscow metro station. Calls are received by the operators of the situation center. A camera is built into the column, they will hear, see and help you

Emergency communication device with the driver. The car number is indicated at the top. Some devices already have video cameras

Emergency communication device with the driver. The car number is indicated at the top. Some devices already have video cameras

Why does the train stop and stand in the tunnel

I happened to spend 25 minutes in a stopped train. I didn't catch the Internet, and instead of googling the reasons for such stops and calm down, I wrote an SMS to my relatives “just in case”.

The main reasons for stopping trains

1. Malfunction of the rolling stock or technical devices of the subway. In this case, the increased interval of train movements is reported through the speakerphone.
2. Someone delayed the departure of the previous train. The police are taking out the hooligans. Doctors carry out the passenger for medical assistance. The driver checks the door control device for serviceability, because the passengers hold and do not let go of the doors. All trains following him are in the tunnel.
3. At the direction of the train dispatcher, if orphan items are removed from the previous train at the station.

Will the subway protect against war

Many are sure that only in the subway can you be saved if a war breaks out. Indeed, after 1945, pressurized doors were installed in the lobbies of new stations or at the bottom of escalators. They protect against major damaging factors, chemical and biological weapons.

But the metro will not save you from a direct hit to the ground by a nuclear bomb: a funnel is formed under the epicenter of the explosion, under which everything will collapse.

The metro will protect against:

• shock wave,
• heat and radiation exposure.

If you take refuge in the subway, you will not see anything, you will not hear anything, you will not be exposed to radiation, you will not suffer from high temperatures.

To keep the metro safe for you in a peaceful life, follow the rules of its use and use common sense.