The side platforms are located on the sides of the rails.
The space at bus and railway stations that is next to the road or track is called a platform . Passengers, therefore, usually wait for the arrival of the means of transport on the platform.
Circulation and boarding
The platforms are platforms that facilitate entry to the bus, train or metro (underground), in addition to allowing the circulation of people. Safety and accessibility are central issues in platform design.
There are lateral and central platforms. The first are located on both sides of the rails, so that they do not alter their route nor is space sacrificed when rotating them in the wider sections. The central ones, on the other hand, are located between two rails, which are usually on the same line but in opposite directions.
Through posters , light or sound signals, doors and other resources, we seek to minimize the risk of accidents, trying to prevent people from falling off the platform. Furthermore, platforms must be functional for travelers with reduced mobility: there cannot be a great difference in height, for example, between the floor of the railway formation and the surface of the platform.
Be careful with the gap
On the London Underground, since 1969 you can hear every time the train arrives the expression "watch out for the gap", that is, the gap between the platform and the car . This is a sound safety measure that has been reminding passengers for decades that they must pay special attention to this space when entering or leaving the train.
Since these words are heard hundreds of times a day, in all the stations of the city, it has become another icon of London , something that tourists discover with amazement and take with them along with the other souvenirs, since it forms part of English culture as much as Big Ben or the Royal Guard. Its influence can be seen in other cities around the world that have adopted this security measure in their subway stations, such as Hong Kong, New York, Toronto and Seattle .
Originally, the equipment necessary to reproduce this phrase was provided by AEG Telefunken , a merger of German companies with a long history in the field. Although two engineers involved in this project patented the phrase "be careful with the gap", the person who lent his voice to record it patented his work , so they had to repeat it to avoid the obligation to pay him royalties. Despite this, the original actor's version is still playing on certain stations in London. Other available recordings feature the voices of Emma Clarke and Tim Bentinck .
port platform
In a seaport , on the other hand, the platform is the area of the dock where those dedicated to disembarking and loading cargo carry out their work. Another use of the term platform, in this case limited to parts of the American continent, is as a synonym for sidewalk or sidewalk (the elevated area found on the sides of a street, intended for the movement of pedestrians).
The yellow line at the edge of the platform reminds passengers not to approach the tracks.
in the mountain
A platform, finally, is a horizontal surface that is created on the slope of an Andean mountain to develop crops . These platforms, similar to stepped terraces , were characteristic of the pre-Columbian era.
In the north of Argentina , Chile and Bolivia and in the center of Peruvian territory, several sets of platforms are preserved. In addition to their original importance for providing food and their historical relevance, the platforms are valued for their landscape contribution.