An incident involving a roller shutter earlier this year.
Metro stations roller shutter to be replaced after series of incidents
The Brussels regional transport agency Brussel Mobiliteit has drawn up a plan to replace the roller shutters at the access points to the capital’s metro stations. The decision comes after 4 recent incidents, one of which fatal, in which someone became trapped in a roller shutter. During the coming year 10 shutters will be replaced. The Brussels public transport company MIVB says that "The new shutters are a different design and cannot be forced open”.
In early June a man died after having got stuck in a roller shutter at a Brussels metro station. The man had tried to force entry to the station but died after getting trapped in a roller shutter. It was the fourth incident involving roller shutters at Brussels metro stations since March and the first fatality.
In the light of the recent incidents the Brussels regional transport agency Brussel Mobiliteit has drafted a plan to replace roller shutters. "Given the increase in the number of incidents, we intent to work more proactively and not only replace defective roller shutters, but also replace the roller shutters in the places where incidents occur" the agency’s spokeswoman Inge Paemen told the Brussels regional news platform BRUZZ.
Trapped between the slats
The incidents took place at the Rogier, Hallepoort, Naamsepoort and Sint-Gillis Voorplein metro stations. It appears that people seeking shelter inside the stations used a trick to force open the shutters and crawl between the slats.
The Brussels public transport company MIVB’s spokesman Guy Sablon told Bruzz that "The new roller shutters are of a different type that cannot be forced," Ten roller shutters will be replaced during the coming year. "Brussel Mobiliteit has drawn up a multi-year plan for the replacement of the shutter and has also allocated personnel and financial resources", Ms Paemen said.
Brussel Mobiliteit is currently looking at whether the renovation plan should be extended to cover more stations. However, the Brussels regional government will first have to give the green light for this. "In order to speed up the process, additional financial resources and above all extra personnel will be needed," said Inge Paemen said.
