Install half-height platform barriers where full-height is infeasible

The proposal

Where full-height PSDs are too costly or physically infeasible, fit half-height automatic platform gates (roughly 1.2–1.5 m) along the platform edge as a cheaper, lighter retrofit.

Why it would work

Partial barriers interrupt the impulsive move to the track edge and add a physical and psychological obstacle, cutting suicides substantially even without fully sealing the platform.

Evidence

Reported reductions: ~79.2% for 1.5 m barriers and ~60.2% for 1.2 m barriers, with the shortfall attributed to people climbing over. Greater height yields greater prevention, so barriers should be as tall as feasible.

Implementation

Suited to stations where structural load, evacuation requirements, or mixed rolling stock rule out full-height doors. Requires the same alignment and control-integration work as full-height, at lower capital cost.

Trade-offs

Less effective than full-height because they can be climbed; coverage is still station-only. Best treated as the pragmatic fallback when full-height is off the table, not an equivalent substitute.