Mind The Gap - The Phrase Worldwide

The Phrase Worldwide

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves.

• The French version, which is an alexandrine, Attention à la marche en descendant du train ("Watch the step while getting off the train"), is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the Paris Métro.
• In Hong Kong's MTR, the phrase "Please mind the gap" (請小心月台空隙) is announced in three languages, namely, Cantonese, Mandarin (Putonghua) and English.
• In Singapore's MRT, the phrase is used in announcements in English, played in the trains whenever a train approaches an underground station after the station's name has been announced twice. It is also played on underground station platforms just after the train doors open, or sometimes, just as the train approaches the platform. Trains also have stickers pasted on the windows to caution passengers.
• The phrase can be heard in New Delhi Metro in two languages (English and Hindi).
• In the Athens Metro, the message "Mind the gap between the train and the platform" is heard in both Greek and English language at the station of Monastiraki.
• In Stockholm's tunnelbana and on Stockholm commuter rail's stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "Mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively. It can also be displayed as text on electronic displays as "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform."
• The Tianjin Metro uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台空隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves. The Beijing Subway uses Mind the Gaps (note the plural). (In the recently-opened Line 4, the phrase has gained more prominence, being played in the station every time a train comes in and, in some trains, every time before arriving at a stop.) Both the Shanghai Metro and the Nanjing Metro use versions with slightly mutilated grammar ("Caution, Gap" and "Care the Gap", respectively, although the Chinese is the same).
• In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on Metro Transit (King County) buses in and around Seattle, Washington.
• At the stations of the São Paulo Metro and CPTM in São Paulo, Brazil the sentence that can be heard is "Cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (Mind the gap between the train and the platform).
• At almost all stations of SuperVia, Rio de Janeiro suburban trains, the driver announces "Observe o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma" (Watch the space between the train and the platform), and sometimes "observe o desnível entre o trem e a plataforma" (Watch the level difference between the train and the platform).
• In the Rio de Janeiro Metro, the phrase "Observe atentamente o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma – Mind the gap" also can be heard.
• In the Lisbon Metro at the Marquês de Pombal station on the blue line, the announcement "Atenção ao intervalo entre o cais e o comboio" (Pay attention to the gap between the platform and the train) can be heard.
• The New York City-area Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, and, owing to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR.
  • The MTA, which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including Maria Bartiromo and Al Roker to recite the slogan.
  • It is also used on the New York City subway and the Staten Island Railway – on trains and platforms, and in conductor announcements.
• Plaques on Toronto subway and RT station platforms warn riders to "mind the gap". Announcements about the warning on the public announcement system in each station can also be heard intermittently.
• On most Sydney CityRail stations, there is an automated announcement reminding passengers to mind the gap as well as posters informing riders about the number of people who fall down the gap each year.
• On the Manila Metro Rail Transit System, a pre-recorded message is played at certain stations reminding passengers to "watch your step and watch the gap between the train and the platform as you get on and off the train". This is simplified in its Filipino translation, which simply reminds passengers to be careful in boarding and alighting the train.
• On the Berlin S-Bahn the phrase "Bitte beachten Sie beim Aussteigen die Lücke zwischen Zug und Bahnsteigkante" (Please mind the gap between train and platform edge when deboarding) is used, followed by the English "mind the gap between platform and train." (The English is only heard at a limited number of stations.)
• On the Madrid Metro, a recorded warning message can be heard inside the trains when approaching a station with curved platforms: "Atención: estación en curva. Al salir, tengan cuidado para no introducir el pie entre coche y andén." (Caution: station on a curve. As you exit, be careful not to place your foot between the train and the platform.). No warning messages are heard when arriving at a station with straight platforms.
• In Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, "mind your step" can be heard when approaching the end of a moving walkway.
• The standard Amtrak conductor announcement when approaching any station stop concludes with "Mind the gap between the train and the platform."
• On the Buenos Aires Metro, warnings on platform floors and on the door windows in the convoys read "Cuidado con el espacio entre el tren y el andén." ("Mind the gap between train and platform.").
• On many trains in Japan, the message "Densha to homu no aida wa hiroku aite orimasu no de, gochuui kudasai" is spoken. This means "there is a wide space between the train and the platform, so please be careful."
• The message can be seen on some train stations in Ireland, as well.
• In Thailand, the announcement is used a little bit differently from the London one. On Thai underground train, it says "Please, mind the gap between train and platform.". Some grammarians argue that as a specific and countable noun, the word "TRAIN" should be preceded by "THE", but up to the present there has been no official change over it.