Deal is, if you run to the end, you will likely get out. From the time you can see the lights of the train is usually about a minute or so, and if you are exactly at the halfway point you can make it. The trains are usually 10 cars, by the way, and the trains are about 500 feet long. So you can probably run 250 feet or so in a few seconds, even accounting for the uneven terrain (the center of the tracks is sometimes a kind of pit with the emergency braking mechanism in it, particularly in some Manhattan stations).

Going between the tracks (assuming you are in a station that accommodates two tracks in each direction) is not a terrible idea, in that as long as you don’t step on the third rail you will be okay. The rail actually has a cover on the top so you won’t die instantly but I wouldn’t step on the thing. There’s actually a lot of space there — between the tracks is where the vertical support I-beams are holding up the roof.

In an elevated station the whole thing is harder because there’s nothing underneath the ties of the tracks — your foot can go right between them — so it’s harder to run down the platform’s length.

Also, in a number of stations, there are little alcoves on the wall, (some have doors in them) that are built precisely to hold people. If you stand in one of these you would actually be OK, that’s what they are for.

Going under the platform is a bit on the risky side, but that depends a lot on which station you are in.

And finally, if you are out in Brooklyn, and in the semi- above ground stations (they are in these deep pits) there’s a lot more clearance around the trains and if you get to the end of the tracks you can simply step out of the way onto the gravel.

But yeah, for god’s sake don’t play chicken with the trains.

On BART, the third rail is well outside the tracks, and there is a substantial deep space between the standard gauge (56.5″) rails of the line – so lying down might be OK in a pinch.

Not sure about Muni.

https://sfbay.ca/home/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/223824134_2415f6f2fa_z.jpg

Also:

ON THE PLATFORM
•Please stay behind the yellow and black platform edge detection tiles. Do not approach the train until it comes to a complete stop in the station.
•Never sit on the platform edge or touch the outside of the trains!
•Do not cross the tracks or enter the trackway under any circumstances!
•If you drop something on the trackway, do not attempt to retrieve it! Contact the Station Agent for help.
•There is a refuge area underneath the train platform that may provide some protection in the event of an accidental fall onto the track.

The official signage says “Underground”, and it’s officially the London Underground, and is referred to by both the public and the agency as the “Tube”.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-subway-idUSKBN1322HH