Did You Know? There’s an Emergency Button That Can Save Lives on the Prague Metro

An emergency button installed at every Prague metro station can stop an oncoming train immediately if someone falls onto the tracks.

However, many passengers are unaware of its existence, leading to tragic incidents.

Last week, a blind man tragically lost his life at Křižíkova station when he fell onto the tracks and the train could not be stopped in time.

The police are now urging the public to familiarize themselves with these emergency buttons, which are a crucial safety feature.

Eva Kropáčová, a spokesperson for the police, emphasized the importance of knowing about them: “Right now, our goal is to raise awareness about the emergency button so that in case of an accident, people can act quickly and prevent a tragedy.”

The emergency buttons are located on the platform near the tracks and are usually positioned at both ends of the platform, either mounted on walls or poles.

They are protected by glass that needs to be broken to activate the system. When pressed, the button sends a signal to the train’s safety system, either stopping the train or preventing it from starting.

In the recent Křižíkova incident, bystanders noticed the man falling but did not realize there was a faster way to stop the train than calling the emergency hotline.

“Unfortunately, none of the witnesses seemed to know about the emergency button, which could have stopped the train immediately,” Kropáčová said.

A similar situation occurred this Thursday at Jiřího z Poděbrad station when a foreign passenger fell onto the tracks. Fortunately, he managed to climb back up onto the platform with the help of other passengers.

He was later found to be under the influence of alcohol, with a blood alcohol level of four milliliters. This wasn’t an isolated case – two years ago, a similar incident happened involving another intoxicated individual.

In both cases, no one pressed the emergency button, which should be the first step when someone falls onto the tracks, according to Kropáčová.