17 hours ago
- US subway construction follows NFPA 130 fire safety standard, requiring cross-passages every 800 feet, significantly tighter than European standards of 1,640 feet.
- Building excessive cross-passages adds substantial costs ($1–10 million each) with little measurable safety benefit, as both US and European subways have similarly low fatality rates.
- NFPA 130’s spacing requirements originated from assumptions about passenger evacuation in 1970s Atlanta, but lack technical substantiation and are not supported by recent analyses.
- European and Japanese metro systems have fewer cross-passages or none, yet maintain excellent safety records, including London’s Elizabeth line with spacing up to 2,275 feet.
- The solution includes updating NFPA 130 to match European spacing, or allowing transit agencies to modify requirements directly, as some jurisdictions have already done.
- Reader comments highlight the 'Building Code Industrial Complex'—entrenched interests that resist regulatory rollbacks even when safety gains are minimal or outdated.