The famous gap that train passengers have been told to mind for decades could be in jeopardy, after successful trials of a safety device to fill the gaps on London train platforms. The rubber devices, appropriately known as "gap-fillers", are fixed to the sides of platforms near the doors and have apparently eradicated accidents during a year-long trial. Heathrow Express, which runs trains between the west London airport and Paddington station, said the rubber strips that had been tested in Terminal 5 would be installed across its network at a cost of £58,000 (HK$690,000), and could be rolled out on other train lines. Accidents from passengers slipping between the train and the platform accounted for almost half of the fatality risk on modern trains, the firm said, while less serious incidents caused delays while passengers were being cut free or treated. There have been 65 such incidents on Heathrow Express in the past three years, but none in the past year when the bespoke gap-fillers were installed. A spokeswoman said passengers carrying baggage and under stress through air travel could be particularly prone to getting trapped in the small gap. "It's almost impossible to fathom how it happens, but it does happen and it can be really nasty," she said. "It seems crazy … but that little bit of rubber makes a real difference." The gap-fillers, designed by an Australian company, should also make boarding easier for disabled passengers. Heathrow Express said it was working with the Rail Safety and Standards Board and other train operating companies in developing a national platform gap-filler strategy for all. However, London Underground's dimensions could prove a challenge. "Mind the gap" announcements have long been a feature of the capital's travel network since the first warnings were announced in 1969, and the phrase has become a staple of tourist merchandise. The very first "Mind the Gap" warning, recorded by sound engineer Peter Lodge, remains in use on some parts of the Tube network. But a variety of other actors and voiceover artists have been drafted in to make the announcements across the network. Fortunately for traditionalists, if not for safety or access considerations, the curved shape of many tube station platforms, as well as the variety of trains in operation, means gap-fillers might not necessarily work, leaving the Underground's gap unfilled, and travellers justifiably mindful.
