I am shocked that this does not happen more often.

First, don’t stand anywhere near the damn tracks to begin with. That should help stop you from falling or being pushed onto the tracks, unless you are a friend of Frank Underwood.

Here’s what you do, these two things simultaneously.

1) Get out of the way of any oncoming train, preferably by diving under the platform if there is room for you there.

2) Stay away from the third rail.

Note that the space between trains, if two trains are coming at the same time from opposite directions, may not be sufficient for you to hide. But if I had to be there, I’d probably want to be on the ground as flat as possible, avoiding the third rail. Good luck with that.

This all may depend on which subway system you are using.

For those who are not sure what a subway is, it is a train that runs underground and carries people. If you are in Boston, the underground train is often above ground. If you are in London, it is actually called an “Underground.”

Anyway, here is some more advice:

What To Do If You Fall Onto the Subway Tracks

Try to climb out with the help of someone who can help hoist you.

Lie down between the tracks, depending on the depth of the tracks.

Get to the side of the track.

Step between the girders that separate tracks (but this involves stepping over the third rail, which carries more than 600 volts of electricity).

Try to outrun the train as it stops in the station.

“Just about any risk is worth taking,” Jim Gannon, spokesman for the Transit Workers Union told the AP, because “if you get hit by a train, your chances of survival are not good.”

MyRedditAtWork: Serious question: If, god forbid, I fall onto the tracks or someone I am willing to risk my life for falls into the tracks and is knocked out – and a train is coming (lets say 30sec away) – what should I do? Are those pits between the rails by the platforms made for people to hide in in a worst case scenario? The best thing you can do is run as far down the platform as you can (in the opposite direction from where the train enters the station) and wave your arms frantically to get the train operator and passenger’s attention. Believe me, the passengers WILL be doing the exact same thing, as nobody wants to see you get run over and their train get delayed. If you can get to the far end of the platform, it gives the train more room to stop, and there is a ladder at the end of each platform where you can climb back up — do NOT try to climb up from where you are. So many people have been killed trying to jump back up rather than getting away from the entrance end of the station.

Do NOT trust the pits between the tracks — they are often right next to the third rail which can be just as dangerous (and note that the wooden planks are not designed to hold a human’s weight – they are there to protect the energized rail from drips and weather) and the train operator is less likely to see you if you’re in there. And don’t duck under the train, because most stations do not have enough clearance for the average human. And do NOT jump down onto the tracks to try to save someone else. The best thing you can do is run on the platform towards the tunnel where the train enters so you can get the operator’s attention sooner. Waving your arms over the tracks will tell the operator to stop immediately.

What to Do if You Fall onto the Subway Tracks: Run Away (Seriously)

Obviously, the optimal choice is to get back onto the platform, often with the help of bystanders. Dramatic subway rescues are somewhat common. In 2009, for example, an off-Broadway actor rescued a stranded man by hoisting him back to safety. (The good Samaritan said his stage role at the time required him to lift and carry other actors.) If you can’t boost yourself up in time, look for a space beneath the platform edge. In some stations, particularly in Manhattan, there is enough room between the train and the platform to accommodate a person. If the platform appears flush with the approaching train, you could take shelter in the space between the two sets of train tracks. This is a dangerous choice, though, because you’d have to traverse the third rail, which carries 660 volts of electricity, more than enough to kill a person. A final option is to simply lie flat — there may be enough clearance for the train to pass over you.

Subway Conductor Tells You What to Do If You Fall in the Tracks

Source: What To Do If You Fall Onto the Subway Tracks | NBC New York http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Save-Yourself-from-the-Subway-380976411.html#ixzz4PRGHfs9V
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