The reason why transit CANNOT post this is because those spaces ARE NOT uniform, while they may hold true for a majority of the stations, THEY DO NOT HOLD TRUE FOR ALL!!!
And then there ars intangibles such, as mentioned above, @ some stations the third rail does indeed run underneath the platform, in other cases, if the platform is along ANY sort of turn parts of the train may go underneath the platform, and don't forget, there is a piece of equipment called the "shoe", this is where power from the 3rd rail enters the train, understand quite clearly that if one shoe is energized, THEY ARE ALL ENERGIZED!!!
And as far as having the train go over you again it depends on the station, some stations have split ties and a cutout trackbed which you can indeed lie in, others have full track ties in which case THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THE TRAIN TO PASS OVER YOU!!!
I have no doubt that this guy's problem was being drunk, until you are ABSOLUTELY SURE that there is no train coming he could've stayed in the area between the tracks in between the girders.
Also, someone else noted the cutouts, they too ARE NOT OF UNIFORM SIZE throughout the system, I hate to point this out but several people, MAINLY TRANSIT WORKERS, have been killed thinking that a particular cutout was safe.
Of course if there's one close that's where you go, but DO NOT EVEN BREATH until the train passes.
I myself have worked as a contractor for years in the subway system, and my Dad worked for almost 40 years in maintenance, retiring as a supervisor for all 5 boros, in that position he was ALWAYS amongst the first to receive emergency calls to come in upon any track related deaths, and yearly there are quite a few!
Peeps forget that even though it is just one system now, when it was built there were several different companies, and even within those companies stretches were built @ different times and with little governmental oversight since they were private companies, this is why in some areas everything is uniform, but in some they are not!