Light Rail

5/21/2018 Light Rail

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LIGHT RAIL VEHICLES & SYSTEMS

Technical Assistance Manual

October, 1992


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Table of ContentsIntrodu ction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Vehicles Covered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Wheelchair and Mobility Aid Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Minimum Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Periodic Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7How These Man uals ar e Organ ized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Other Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71192.1 Purp ose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81192.2 Equivalent facilitation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81192.3 Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91192.4 Miscellaneou s instru ctions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121192.71 General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141192.73 Doorway s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

(a) Clear width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17(b) Signage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18(c) Signa ls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19(d) Coordination with boarding platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

(1) Requirem ents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19(2) Exception. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20(3) Exception. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21(4) Exception. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1192.75 Priority seating sign s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221192.77 Interior circulation, han d rails and stanch ions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231192.79 Floors, steps an d th reshold s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251192.81 Lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261192.83 Mobility aid accessibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

(a)(1) General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27(2) Exception. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

(b) Vehicle lift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29(1) Design load. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29(2) Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29(3) Emergency operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31(4) Pow er or equ ipm ent failure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32(5) Platform barriers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32(6) Platform surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34(7) Platform gap s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35(8) Platform entrance ramp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35(9) Platform deflection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36(10) Platform movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36(11) Boarding direction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37(12) Use by stan dees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37(13) Han dr ails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

(c) Vehicle ramp or brid ge plate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39(1) Design load. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

(2) Ramp surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39(3) Ramp th resh old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40(4) Ramp barriers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40(5) Slope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40(6) Attachmen t. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42(7) Stowage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42(8) Ha nd rails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

1192.85 Betw een-car barr iers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431192.87 Public information system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44


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Introduction

This technical assistance docum ent is one of a series provided to he lp in un derstand ing

the background and und erlying rationale of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility

Guidelines for Tran sportation Vehicles (Vehicle Guid elines ) and how the gu ide lines m ay app ly

in a p articular case. The docum ents in this series are:

o Buses, Vans & Systems

o Rapid Rail Vehicles & System s

o Light Rail Vehicles & System s

o Comm uter Rail Cars & System s

o Intercity Rail Cars & System s

o Over-th e-Road Buses & System s

o Automated Guideway Transit Vehicles & Systems

o High-Speed Rail Cars, Monorails & Systems

o Trams, Similar Vehicles & Systems

The information in th is docum ent is based o n the p ream ble p ublished with th e Vehicle

Guidelines, augmented with material developed in response to questions wh ich hav e been

posed to t he Archi tect ura l an d Trans porta tion Bar rie rs C om plian ce Boar d (Acces s Boar d) sin ce

publ icat ion o f t he guidel ines. The Depa rtment of Transpor ta tion (DOT) has issued st andard s

for vehicles based on th e Guidelines. The guid ance in th is docum ent d oes not constitute a

determin ation of compliance with the DOT standard s or with you r right s or resp onsibilities

und er the ADA and is not binding on DOT.

BackgroundThe Am erican s w ith Disa bilit ies Act (ADA ) [P.L. 101-336, 42 U.S.C. 12101, et seq], signed

into law by Pres ident Bush on July 26, 1990, is land mark l egisla tion to extend civ il rights

protection to people w ith disabil it ies. The ADA p rohibits discrimination on the basis of

dis ability in employm ent, State an d local gov ernment services, pu blic transp ortation, pu blic

accom mod ations, comm ercial facilitie s, an d telecommunication s.

Title II of the ADA p rohibits d iscrimination on th e basis of disability in serv ices,

program s, an d act ivit ies p rovid ed by public ent ities, in cluding u nits o f Stat e an d local

govern men t and the N ationa l Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). Title II addr esses

pu blic transp ortation and contains provisions specifically add ressing the following typ es oftransit systems: fixed route bus, rap id rail, light ra il, comm uter rail, and intercity rail. Und er

title II, transit systems of these types which are owned or operated by p ublic entities, and

persons und er contrac t with such ent it ies , must be mad e read ily access ible to and u seab le by

individu als with disabilities, includ ing individu als who use w heelchairs. With respect to

pu bl ic enti ties, t itle II requires that :


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New Vehicles. New vehicles pu rchased or leased after August 25, 1990, must be accessible.

Used Vehicles. If used veh icles are purchased or leased afte r August 25, 1990, good faith

efforts must be made to o btain accessible vehicles.

Remanufactured Vehicles. If vehicles are reman ufactu red after Au gust 25, 1990, to extend

their useful life for 5 years or more in th e case of buses and rapid and light rail vehicles, or for

10 years in the case of commu ter and intercity rail cars, then the vehicles must be made

accessible to the maximum extent feasible.

"One-Car-Per-Train" Rule. At least one vehicle or car in each train of two or more cars must be

accessible a s soon as p racticable bu t in no event later than July 26, 1995, in the case of rap id,

light, commuter, and intercity rail system s.

Demand Responsive Systems. New vehicles purchased or leased after August 25, 1990, for use

in a deman d respon sive system operated by a public entity, or by a person unde r contract with

such an entity, must be accessible unless the system, when viewed in its entirety, provides to

individu als with d isabilities a level of service equivalent to that provided to oth er mem bers of

the gene ral p ublic.

Title III of the ADA p roh ibits d iscrimination on t he basis of d isabilit y in pu blic

accommo dations an d services provid ed by p riva te en tities. Und er title III, public

transportati on services (other than by aircraft) provided by p rivate entities must also be mad e

readily accessible to and usable by ind ividu als with disabilities, including ind ividuals wh o use

wheelchairs. Under title III, the following r equirements apply to private entities that are

prim ar ily eng aged in th e bu sin ess of tr an sp ortin g p eop le and who se opera tions affect

commerce:

New Vehicles. New veh icles pu rchased or leased after Au gust 25, 1990, must be a ccessible

unless the vehicle is to be used solely in a dem and responsive system that, when viewed in its

entirety, provid es to ind ividu als with disabilities a level of service equivalent to that provided

to other members of the general public. This requirement does not apply to automobiles, vanswith a seating capacity of less than 8 passeng ers, or over-the-road b uses.

Vans. New vans with a seating capacity of less than 8 passengers pu rchased or leased after

Februar y 25, 1992, must be a ccessible, unless th e system for w hich the van is being p urch ased


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or leased , when v iew ed in its ent irety, pr ovides to ind ivid uals w ith disabilit ies a level of service

equivalen t to that p rovid ed to other m embers of the gen era l public.

Rail Cars. New rail pa ssenger cars purchased or leased after February 25, 1992, must be

accessible. Rail passenger cars rem anufa ctured afte r Febru ary 25, 1992, to extend their u sefu l

life for 10 year s or more mu st b e mad e accessib le to the maximum extent feas ible.

For private entities not primarily engaged in the busines s of transporting people but

wh ose operations affect commerce, such as hotels, shopping centers, and recreational facilities

wh ich operate shuttle service for customers or patrons, title III requires that:

New Vehicles for Fixed Route Systems. New veh icles w ith a seat ing cap acity of m ore th an 16

passenge rs purchased o r leased af te r August 25, 1990, for use in f ixed route systems must b e

accessible. This requirement d oes not apply to over-the-road buses. New vehicles with a

seating cap acity of 16 passeng ers or less p urchased or leased after Au gust 25, 1990, for use in a

fixed route system mu st also be accessible unless the system, when view ed in it s entirety,

pro vides to ind ividu als with disabi lit ies a level of service equivalen t to tha t pr ovided to other

mem ber s of the gen era l pu blic.

New Vehicles for Demand Responsive Systems. New vehicles with a seating capacity of

more than 16 passengers, purchased or leased after August 25, 1990, for use in a demand

respon sive system mu st be accessible unless the system, w hen viewed in its entirety , provid es

to indi viduals with di sabilities a level of service equi valent to that provided to othe r mem bers

of th e genera l public.

Operation of Demand Responsive Systems. Deman d r esponsive systems mus t be ope rated in

such a man ner that after July 26, 1990, the system, when viewed in its entirety, provides to

individu als with d isabilities a level of service equivalent to that provided to oth er mem bers of

the general public.

Over-the-Road Buses. Title III specifically addresses over-the-road buses operated by private

entiti es. The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) is responsible und er title III of the ADA

for studying the access needs of individuals with d isabilities to over-the-road buses and themost cost-effective method s for prov iding such access. In view of this ma nd ated stud y, over-

the-road b uses covered by tit le III are not requ ired to be accessible t o whee lchair or m obility aid

users u ntil July 26, 1997, for small prov iders an d July 26, 1996, for other p rovid ers. Over-the-

road buses p urch ased or leased after Jan uar y 26, 1992, bu t befor e July 26, 1996 or 1997 m ay be


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required to include accessibility features wh ich do not involve stru ctural changes or use of

board ing d evices.


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1The req uiremen ts for the size of platform lifts an d minimu m door he igh t for bu ses over 22feet in length a pp ly to solicita tions closin g on or after Jan uar y 26, 1992. See 49 CFR 37.13 andthe De cember 9, 1991, Federal Register(56 FR 64214).

5

Regulations

The Depa rtment of Transp ortation is respon sible for issuing regu lations to implem ent

the transp ortation prov isions of the ADA, including accessibility standard s for transportation

vehicles. The ADA required the Access Board to d evelop guidelines to provide guidan ce to

DOT on estab lishing th e accessibility stand ard s for tran spor tation v ehicles. DOT published

interim stand ard s on October 4, 1990 (55 FR 40762). Those standa rd s app ly to vehicles

purch ased aft er A ugu st 26, 1990, b ut befor e Oct ober 7, 1991.

The Access Board p ublished its minimum guidelines, known as the ADA Accessibility

Guid elines for Transportation Vehicles on September 6, 1991, in the Federal Register(56 FR

45530). The provisions for lifts, ramp s, and securemen t devices were daw n pr imarily from a

series of guidelines d eveloped a s part of a pr oject sponsored by th e Federal Transit

Admin istration (FTA), formerly th e Urban Mass Tran sportation Admin istration (UMTA), in

1986: Guide line Specifications for Passive Wheelcha ir Lifts, Guide line Sp ecifications for Active

Wheelchair Lifts, Guid eline Specifications for Wheelchair Ramps and Guideline Specifications

for Wheelchair Securement Dev ices. Provisions from the Guide line Specifications were

supp lemented with add itional materia l derived from common accessibility standards, such as

the Uniform Federal Accessibility Stand ards (UFAS) and the Am erican Na tional Stand ards

Inst itute (ANSI) A117.1-1980 specifications, research sponsored by the Access Board , and

ind ustry practice. Some p rovisions for Aut omated Guidew ay Transp ortation (AGT) "peop le

movers" and rapid rail systems were derived from Los Angeles Downtown People Mo ver:

Hand book on Accessibility for the Elderly and Hand icapped (UMTA, November 1980). In

ad dition, the guid elines incorpo rated provisions of 49 CFR Part 609 for bu ses, light rail and

rapid rail systems pu blished by UMTA in 1976.

These guidelines, codified at 36 CFR Part 1192, are no t, in and of themselves, thestandard s for vehicles but rather form the minimu m requirements for standards issued by

DOT. DOT has adopted the s ubstance of the guidelines (with minor editoria l differences) as

the accessibility stand ard s for tran spor tation v ehicles. The final DOT regu lation estab lishes

effective da tes for the accessibility stand ard and add ress when the stan dard s are to be ap plied

to veh icles for w hich a solicita tion closes after October 6, 1991.1 See 49 CFR 37.7. The man ua ls

in this series w ill deal only w ith the requ irements for vehicles procured after this d ate.

Vehicles Covered

The Board's Vehicle Guidelines p rimarily add ress new and remanu factured vehiclesinstead of existin g vehicles sin ce the ADA does n ot necessar ily requir e veh icle retrofit. Existing


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buses, for example, a re not required to be r et rofitted to meet the s tandard s o f Par t 38 of the

DOT regu lation. Even com plia nce w ith the "one-car-per-train rule" and the mobility aid seating

requirements for intercity rail cars can be met by the purchase of new vehicles. How ever, some

entities wh ich do not plan to pu rchase a sufficient num ber of new vehicles before the

compliance date for the "one-car-per-train" rule may choose to retrofit existing vehicles. For

these entities, th e Board has inclu ded p rovisions in the a pp ropriate general sections concernin g

such retrofitted vehicles.

Operations

The Vehicle Guidelines cover the design, manu facture and alteration of vehicles, not

their operation. Operational requirements are within the purv iew of DOT, not the Board, and

are cove red by Part 37 of the DOT rule, especia lly subpart s B and G. Except for the possibility

of operational procedures allowed u nd er the equivalent facilitation provision, discussed below,

the Board 's statu tory m anda te is to ensure accessibility of th e built enviro nm ent, includin g

instan ces in wh ich opera tional procedu res migh t fail. For examp le, the Board canno t assum e

that the strength, agility and a ttention of a driver will be sufficient to p revent a heavy

wh eelchair from rolling off a lift. Thu s, the Board h as included a requiremen t for lift platform

barr iers. Neither i s i t app ropriate, as one transit operator su ggested, to assume th at fellow

pa ssen ger s w ill h av e th e str en gth or s kill t o as sist pe rso ns with disab ilities to b oar d veh icles. It

is just as inapp ropriate to exp ect oth er p assengers to lift a w heelchair use r into a v ehicle as it is

to assume others should lift a wh eelchair over a curb or carry someone up a flight of stairs to

enter a build ing. Therefore, specific vertical and horizon tal gaps for rail vehicles are specified.

Wheelchair and Mobili ty Aid StandardsNeith er the A DA, nor a ny oth er statu te, confers up on th e Board the au thor ity to set

stand ard s or min imum req uirements for w heelchairs an d mobility aids. The ADA does,

how ever, p rovid e a clear m and ate to th e Board to set the m inimum req uiremen ts for vehicles.

The Board has attempted to carry ou t this charge in the fairest, most cost effective mann er

possible consis ten t with the stat ute .

Minimum Req uiremen ts

It shou ld be noted that these Vehicle Guidelines, and the DOT standard s based on them,

are minimum requirements. Standard s or specifications which provide greater access arepe rm itted . In ad dit ion, ther e are section s w hich expr essly p erm it alte rn ativ es (e.g., rear -facing

securement). The word "may" is used wh ere alternatives are permitted and shou ld not be

con str ued as a req uiremen t. Also, an ap pend ix has b een includ ed in th e gu idelines w hich

contains non-ma nd atory, advisory gu idance to assist in applying th e rule. The ma terial from

that app endix has been generally incorporated into the d iscussion material in this document.


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Periodic Revisi ons

The Board intends to con du ct period ic upd ates and r evision of the Vehicle Guidelines so

that future technologies and p ractices can b e incor porated into th em. As noted in th e follow ing

discussions, the Board feels th at add itional data an d stu dy are n eeded in regard to certain

issues and it intend s to further revise and mod ify these guidelines based on its review of

collected d ata an d stu dy results. Also, some variations deter mined to p rovide equivalent

facilitation m ay be explicitly incorporated in future up dates.

In addition, the Board plans to revise and up date these techn ical manu als as new

inform ation or techno logy su rfaces or as the Vehicle Gu idelin es th emselv es are ch anged . In

some places in these man uals, notation is mad e of drafting errors or sections where the

regu lation itself is unclea r. Several non-substantive ch anges in the regulation may be m ade in

the future a nd these chan ges will be reflected in revised editions of these m anu als.

How These Manuals are Organized

Each of these manu als deals w ith a sep arate tr ansportation mod e or vehicle type, based

on a particular su bpa rt of the final reg ulation (e.g., subp art B - Buses, Vans an d Systems;

subp art C - Rapid Rail Vehicles and Systems; etc.). However, since su bpart A ap plies to all

vehicles, it is included at the beginning of each man ual. Each manu al is se lf-contained so that

reference to oth er manu als is not necessary. Where th e provisions of the Vehicle Guidelines

refer to other mod es, or where the DOT regulation requires one type of vehicle to comply with

the requirem ents of another type, th e relevant sections are rep eated.

The portions of this docum ent which ap pear in boldare the provisions as they appear

in the fin al Vehicle Gu idelines. The text immediately follow ing is a d iscussion of the rationa le.

For purpo ses of this docu men t, the section nu mbers correspon d to the p rovisions a s theyappea r in Title 36 of the Cod e of Federal Regulation s. The nu mb ering system of DOT's

regu lat ion follow s th e same for mat with the exception o f the p refix nu mber (i.e., 1192.23(b)(6)

is substantive ly identi cal to 38.23(b)(6), etc.). Some of the prov isions, particularly the

requiremen ts for horizon tal gaps and vertical disp lacement betw een vehicles and platforms,

mu st be read in conjun ction w ith the station desig n requ irem ents in 36 CFR Pa rt 1191, wh ich

are included as Ap pend ix A of the DO T reg ulation at 49 CFR Part 37.

Other Publications

The Access Board ha s also made avai lable a checklist based on its ADA AccessibilityGuide lines (ADAAG) for Build ings and Facilities. ADAAG con tains requirements for tr ansit

facilities, in cludin g bu s stop s an d term inals, fixed facilit ies a nd sta tions , and airpor ts. The

Board al so publi shes technical bu lletins on certain sect ions in ADAAG . These publi cations are

ava ilable from the A ccess Board.


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Subpart A -- General

1192.1 Purpose.

This part provides minimum guidelines and requirements for access ibil ity standards

to be issu ed by the D epartment of Transportation in 49 CFR Part 37 for transportation

vehicles required to be accessibl e by the Ame ricans w ith Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990,

42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.

This section merely sets forth the pu rpose of the guidelines which is to establish the

minimu m requ irements for standards issued by DOT. Section 504 of the ADA requires the

Access Board to issue minimu m gu idelines and requirements for vehicles and facilities. In turn ,

DOT must issue standard s which are consistent with these guidelines. The DOT standard s

cou ld be m ore strict th an the gu idelines bu t cou ld no t provid e a le sser d egr ee of accessibility .

This format i s simi lar to that und er the Arch itectural Barriers Act of 1968 in which the Board

issued the Minimum Guidelines and Requirements for Accessible Design w hich sets the

baseline for th e Uni form Fe de ra l Access ibi lity Standard s (UFAS). As discussed p reviously, the

sta nd ard s th emselv es h ave been issu ed by DOT an d are cod ified at 49 CFR Pa rt 38.

1192.2 Equivalent facilitation.

Depa rtures from particular technical and scoping requirements of these guide lines

by use of o ther desi gns and technologi es are permitted where the al ternative designs and

technologie s used will prov ide s ubstantially equivalen t or greater access to and usabil ity of

the v ehicle. D epartures are to be consid ered on a case-by-case basis by th e D epartment of

Trans portation under the procedure set forth in 49 CFR 37.7.

The Board and DOT agree that there is a need for some flexibility to address uniq ue and

spec ial circumstances and to facilitate the appl ication of new technologies. There fore, an

"equivalent facilitation" provision has been included that is similar to the provision in the

buildings and facilities guidel ines . DOT has es tabl ished p rocedures und er which an entity

(e.g., transit agencies, providers, etc.) may pu rsue a lternative means of providing accessibility

with resp ect to specific requiremen ts of the standard . The FTA or Federal Railroad

Admin istration (FRA) Adm inistrator will determine on a case-by-case basis w hether equ ivalentfacilitation is p rovid ed. See 49 CFR 37.7 for the d etailed procedu res which m ust be follow ed as

part of an app licat ion to the Adm inistrator for an equivalent fac ilitat ion determ inat ion. DOT

inten ds to consult w ith the Board in mak ing determ ination s of equ iva len cy.

The Board wishes to p oint out tha t equ ivalent facilitation d oes not constitute a w aiver

from any accessibility requirement and is not a lesser standard of accessibility. Alternate


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designs and technologies may be used only where th ey will provide su bstantially equivalent or

greater access to, an d u sability of, a vehicle. The Board encou rages that, when consid ering

alternative designs and tech nologies, entities consult with in dividuals with disabilities and

their organiza tions at the ear liest possib le stage of the process. The Board is avai lable to

provid e technical assistance regarding equ ivalent facili tation.

In developing an equivalent facilitation proposal, an entity should consider th e intent of

the gu ideline or stand ard requ irement. For example, large buses are requ ired to h ave a

doorwa y heigh t of 5'8" from the ra ised lift platform . This height, althou gh it accomm odates

only about 70% of the adult male popu lation, is intended to prov ide some minimu m head

clearance for sta nd ees.

This clearance is especially imp ortant wh ere a standee wou ld be positioned outside the

vehicle door w hen the lift is d own b ut is m oved u p an d th rough the door as the lift is raised .

Other mod els of lifts do not mo ve the stand ee throu gh the door, but the individu al wou ld need

to p ass th rou gh the d oor after the lift is raised . While it is n ot p racticable to p rovid e clea rance

for the 90th percentile stand ee, it is desir able to provid e as m uch h ead room as possible, since

du cking to clear the door way may be m ore difficult for persons w ith ambulat ory disabilities

than for other m embers of the general pop ulation . A greater h eight w as not sp ecified becau se

information supp lied by vehicle manufacturers indicated that this height was consistent with

that needed to accommod ate overh ead door open ing m echanism s and roof lines.

How ever, some lifts are designed such that th e motion is entirely vertical ("elevator"

type lifts) and a stand ee is positioned at the full inboard edge and is raised fully within the

vehicle, clear of the door lintel. In this case, the FTA Adm inistrator has determined th at the

intent of the doorw ay height requ irement is being met by the particular lift configuration,

pro vided the location of th e han dr ails i s such tha t the fu ll inboard stand ing p osi tion is viable.

1192.3 Defini tions.

Access iblemeans, with respect to vehicles cove red by this part, compliance with the

provisi ons of this part.

Aut omat ed guidew ay transit (AGT)sys tem means a fixed-guide way transportation

system w hich ope rates w ith automated (driverless) ind ividual vehicles or multi-car trains.

Service may be on a fixed schedul e or in respo nse to a passenger-activated call b utton. Suchsystems using small, slow moving vehicles, often ope rated in airports and amuse ment

parks, are somet imes called "people movers".

Busmeans any of several types of se lf-propelled veh icles, other than an over-the-road

bus, generally rubber tired, intended for use on ci ty streets, highways, and busways,


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includin g but not l imited to minibuses, forty- and thirty-foot transit bus es, articulated buses ,

doubl e-de ck buses, and electric pow ered trolley buses, used to provide designated or

specifie d publ ic transportation services. Sel f-propel led, rubber tire vehicles desig ned to loo k

like antiqu e or vintage trolleys o r street cars are considered buses .

Common w heelchairs and mobility aidsmeans belonging to a class of three or four

wheeled dev ices, usab le indoors, desig ned for and used by persons w ith m obility

impairments w hich do not exceed 30 inches in width and 48 inches in length, measured 2

inches above the ground, and do not weigh more than 600 pounds when occupied .

Commuter rail carmeans a rail passeng er car obtained by a commuter authority (as

define d by 49 CFR 37.3) for use in comm uter rail transportation.

Commuter rail tra nsportat ionmeans short-haul rail passenger service operating in

metropol itan and suburban areas, operated by a commu ter authority whe ther w ithin or

across the geographical boundaries of a state, usually characterized by reduced fare, multipl e

ride , and commutation tickets and by morning and eve ning peak period operations. This

term does not include li ght or rapid rail transportation .

Demand respons iv e sy st emmeans any system of transporting individuals, including

the p rovisio n of desig nated publi c transportation service by p ublic entitie s and the

provision of transportation service by private enti ties, including but not limited to specified

publi c transportation service , whi ch is not a f ixed route sys tem.

Designated public transpor ta tion means transpo rtation provided by a publ ic entity

(other than public school transportation) by bus, rail, or other conveyance (other than

transportation by aircraft or intercity or commuter rail transportation) that provides the

gene ral publ ic w ith general or special se rvice, includi ng charter servi ce, on a regular and

continuing ba sis.

Fixed rout e sy st emmeans a system of transpo rting individuals (other than by

aircraft), inc luding the provis ion of designated public transportation service by public

entitie s and the provis ion of transportation service by p rivate entiti es, includi ng but notlimi ted to specified public transpo rtation service , on which a ve hicle is operated along a

prescribed route according to a fixed schedule.


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High s peed rai lmeans an interci ty-type rai l service w hich operates primari ly on a

dedicated gui dew ay or track not use d, for the most part, by f reight, includi ng, but not

limited to, trains on w elded rail, magne tical ly levitated (maglev) vehicles on a special

guideway, or other advanced technology veh icles, designed to travel at speeds in excess of

those possible on other types of railroads.

Intercit y rail passenger carmeans a rail car intended for use by revenue passengers

obtained by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) for use in intercity rail

transportation.

Intercit y ra il transpor tation means transportation provided by Amtrak.

Li ght ra ilmeans a s treetcar-type v ehicl e railw ay operated on city streets , sem i-priv ate

rights-of-way, or exclusive private right s-of-way. Service may be provided by step-entry

vehicles or by level-boarding.

New vehiclemeans a vehicle w hich is offered for sale or lease af ter manufacture

without any prior use.

Ov er-the-road busmeans a vehicle characterized by an elevated passenger deck

located ove r a baggage compartment.

Ra pi d railmeans a subw ay-type transit veh icle railw ay op erated on excl usive private

right s-of-way wi th h igh-level p latform stations. Rapid rail may als o operate on elev ated o r

at-grade leve l track separated from other traffic.

Remanufactured v ehiclemeans a vehicle whi ch has been structurally restored and has

had new or rebui lt major compo nents instal led to extend its se rvice life .

Sp ecified public transporta tion means transportation by bus, rail, or any other

convey ance (other than aircraft) provided by a private entity to the general public, w ith

gene ral or special se rvice (includi ng charter servi ce) on a regular and co ntinu ing basis.

Trammeans any of several types of motor vehicles cons isting of a tractor unit, wi th or

without passeng er accommo dation s, and o ne or more passe nger trailer units, including but

not limi ted to vehicles provid ing shu ttle service to remote parking areas, be tween hotels and


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othe r public accommodations, and betwee n and withi n amu sement parks and other

recreation areas.

Used vehiclemeans a vehicle with prior use.

The definitions in this section are consistent w ith the de finitions included in the DOT

final rule. This set of d efinitions, h owever, does not inclu de some terms which are included in

the DOT rule, primarily those which concern operational issues not add ressed by the

guidel ines. Notice that the term "accessible" means compliance with the pr ovisions of the

guidelines (or the DOT standards in 49 CFR Part 38) wh ich includ es any determ inations of

equ iva lent facilitation.

1192.4 Misce llaneo us ins tructions.

(a) Dimensional conventions. Dimensions that are not noted as minimum or

maximum are absolute.

(b) Dimensional tolerances. All dimensions are subject to conventional

engineering tolerances fo r material properties and fie ld condi tions, includi ng normal

anticipated w ear not exceeding accepted i ndustry-wide s tandards and practices.

(c) Notes. The text of these guidelines does not contain notes or footnotes.

Addi tional info rmation, e xplanation s, and advisory materials are located in the Appendix.

(d) General terminology. The terms used in this part shall have the following

meanings:

(1) Comply wit hmeans meet one or more specification of these guidelines.

(2)If, or if...t hendenotes a specification that applies only when the conditions

described are present.

(3)May denotes an option or alternative.

(4)Shalldenotes a mandatory specif ication or requireme nt.

(5)Shoulddeno tes an advisory specifi cation or recommendation and is used only in

the appendi x to thi s part.

This section contains sev era l provision s desig ned to r edu ce som e con fusion which

became evident in th e responses to the original prop osed regulation. It contains miscellaneous

instr uctions, includ ing dimen sional conv entions an d tolera nces, an d genera l term inology. Anapp end ix was also added to the final guidelines that contains additional information,

explanations, and a dvisory materials. That material is summ arized in the discussion sections of

this d ocum ent, w here ap propriate.

With respect to dimensional tolerances, certain materials expand or contract due to

variations in temperatur e or durin g the process of "curing " or dryin g. As a result, even close


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tolerances du ring constru ction or manu facture cannot insu re continu ed conforman ce to a given

standard . For example , a cable-driven historic inclined system has been modified to be

genera lly accessible. How ever, the cable is sub ject to un controllable stretch ing durin g the d ay,

especially in hot weather. The cars generally provide level entry in the morning, but may be

significantly out of alignmen t by the end of the day. Such variation , even in a n ew system,

resu lting from material var iation s beyon d the con trol of the op erat or wou ld not be deem ed in

viola tion of the guide lines. Furthermore, u nlike bu ildin gs an d facilities w hich are essentially

stationary objects, vehicles move and h ave dyna mic as w ell as static "envelop es". Springs lose

their elasticity, steel rails and wh eels wear d own , and sup posedly "fixed" objects settle du e to

dynam ic stress. The allow ance for normal w ear, how ever, is onlyto b e ap plied in accor dan ce

with accep ted indu str y stan dards and practices , notsimply an agency p olicy. If the industry,

includ ing designer s, engineers, manu facturers, operators, and recognized p rofessional

associations agree th at a sp ecific ad herence can be a chieved above that allow ed by an agency

po licy or prac tice, it is th e i ndus try s tandard which i s t o be app li ed , n ot the agency po licy.

Reliance on dim ensiona l tolerances, how ever, is not an excuse for improp er or d eferred

mainten ance, or poor design or construction method s. For example, the claim of "dimensional

tolerances" could not be mad e for a lift which fails to meet the vehicle floor within the limits

specified in these gu ide lines, sim ply becau se an ad justm ent w hich could have been reas onably

mad e to a control system or limit switch was not made. Neither could a rail operator be

excused from compliance because it accepted vehicles from a m anu facturer w hich did n ot meet

the op erator's bid specification. Nor could a group of manu facturers, op erators or designers,

for exam ple, sim ply get together to ad opt a low er "standa rd " solely for th e pu rpose of relaxing

compliance. Such a change w ould need to be acknowledged by a significant segment of the

indu stry to constitute an "accepted indu stry standard or p ractice." Moreover, dimensionaltolerances ap ply to the construction, m anu facture or op era tion o f a sy stem, not to th e desig n.

An entity cannot issue vehicle specifications which ar e less stringent than those required by the

guidelines; nor could it justify a w ider h orizont al gap as being w ithin d imensional tolerances

because it did not spec ify its veh icles to be wi th in achievable limi ts for sway o r s tabi lity .


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Subpart D -- Light Rail Vehicles and Systems

1192.71 General.

(a) New , used and remanufactured light rail vehicles , to be considered accessib le by

regulations issued by the Department of Transportation in 49 CFR Part 37, shall comply with

this subpart.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires new or used vehicles that are

pu rchased or leased after Aug ust 25, 1990, to be accessible . A pu blic enti ty may p urchase or

lease a used l ight rail vehicle for use on its system that is no t readily accessible to and usable by

individuals with disabil ities, if after maki ng demonstr ated good faith ef forts to obtain an

accessible v ehicle, it is un able to d o so. See 49 CFR 37.87(c) for a d escr iption of wha t

constitutes good faith efforts. Vehicles that a re remanu factured after th is date to exten d their

usable life for 5 years or more are also required to be accessible, to the extent it does not

comprom ise the structural integrity of the vehicle. On October 4, 1990, the U.S. Departmen t of

Transp ortation (D OT) issued an inter im set of requ irem ents for such v ehicles.

The g uidelines discussed in this technical assistance d ocum ent are s ubstantively

identi cal to standard s issued by DO T on September 6, 1991, at 49 CFR Part 38 and r eplace the

interim ru les. The DO T rule at 49 CFR Par t 37 further ou tlines th e applicability an d effective

dates of these requiremen ts. Questions as to w hether certain vehicles are subject to these

sta nd ard s and specific effectiv e d ates sh ould be directed to D OT.

(b)(1) Vehicles intended to be operated so lely in light rail sys tems confined entirely

to a dedicated right-of-w ay, and for which all stations or stops are desi gned and co nstructed

for revenue service after the eff ective date of standards fo r desi gn and cons truction issued

pursuant to subp art C of 49 CFR Part 37, shall provid e lev el boarding and s hall comp ly w ith

1192.73(d)(1) and 1192.85.

This provision requires that newly d esigned and constru cted light rail systems

operating on d edicated rights-of-way provid e level boarding. Level boarding p rovides the

most accessibility for the maximum num ber of people and is opera tionally sup erior to

dep loying b oarding d evices such as lifts, ram ps, or brid ge plates. It can significan tly red uce

station d well times required for p assenger board ing an d aligh ting. In new constru ction, levelboarding can be ach ieved in some cases wh en grading th e s ite by piling the d ir t f ill next to the

track an d p lacing a concrete slab on top to coordin ate with th e level of the train floor. In other

cases, it may be n ecessary to construct a h igh-level platform . The vehicles of such system s mu st

be coord inated with the boa rd ing p latform a s specified by section 1192.73(d)(1) and eq uip ped


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with betw een-car barriers that prevent or w arn persons from accidently stepping off the

plat form bet ween cars acco rd ing to section 1192.85.

It is important that op erators review subp art C of DOT's rule for the effective date of

standard s for design and construction of transit facilities, including light rail stations. In its

rule, DOT explains that the r equirement tha t new facilities be accessible "is keyed to

constru ction which 'begins' after January 25, 1992. The regu lation d efines 'begin' to m ean w hen

a notice to proceed has been issued . This term has a standard m eaning in th e construction

indu stry as an instruction to the contractor to proceed with the w ork." Thus, regardless of the

design work w hich preceded it, the issuan ce of a notice to proceed with construction on or after

January 26, 1992, triggers th e req uirem ents for new stations. See also 49 CFR Part 37, Ap pend ix

A.

(2) Vehicles desig ned fo r, and operated on, pe destrian malls, city streets, or other

areas where l evel boarding is not practicable shal l provide waysi de or car-borne lif ts, mini-

high platforms, or other means of access in compliance with 1192.83(b) or (c).

This provision takes into account th at level boarding is not easily provided at stops

along city streets or on ped estrian malls. Often, there is no space at such sites for platforms for

level boarding. The "other areas w here level boa rd ing is not pra cticable" wou ld includ e any

oth er stop location s lackin g space for platfor ms. It is imp ortant in the d evelopm ent of light rail

systems that consideration be given to the selection of stop locations. A new system that

operated on both a ded icated right-of-way and p edestrian ma lls or city streets would not be

required to provide level boardin g according to p aragraph (b)(1) since that p rovision per tain s

to systems "confined entirely to a d edicated right-of-way." How ever, the Board recommend sthat, in such systems, level boarding be provided at a ll stops where it is feasible to do so.

(c) If portions of the vehicle are modifi ed in a way that affects or could affe ct

accessibi lity, each such po rtion shall compl y, to the extent practicable, w ith the applicable

provisions of this subpart. This provision does not requi re that inaccessible vehic les be

retrofit ted with lift s, ramps or other boarding devices.

This provision is similar to existing requirements of common accessibility codes and

should be viewed a s an "opportunity" clause. That is, when modifications are mad e for anyreason , the opp ortunity m ust be explored to prov ide th e maxim um access feasible. When a

vehicle is modified, each element that is part of the mod ification should be brought into

compliance with the app licable sections of these requirements . For examp le, if a vehicle's floor

is resurfaced and its electrical system rewired, the new floor surface must be slip resistan t at

aisles and ar eas used by standees and mob ility aid use rs. If existing audible signals a re


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replaced or rewir ed, the installation of audibl e and visu al alarms would als o be requ ired as pa rt

of the m odification pr oject. The intent of this provision is t o en sure th at elem ents of a vehicle

will be mad e accessible when the oppo rtunity to d o so exists in t he regu lar cou rse of m odifying

or up grad ing vehicles. How ever, those elements of the vehicle not affected by th e mod ification

plan wou ld no t have to be brought i nto conformance wi th these requ irements . Unde r any

mod ification plan, the installation of a lift, ramp , bridge plate or other board ing device is not

required, even if the entra nce of a vehicle is mod ified.

(d) Existing vehicles retrofitted to comply w ith the "one-car-per-train rule" at 49 CFR

37.93 shall comply with 1192.75, 1192.77(c), 1192.79(a) and 1192.83(a) and shall have, in new

and key stations, at least one door which complies with 1192.73(a)(1), (b) and (d). Vehicles

previou sly designed and manuf actured in accordance w ith the accessibi lity requirements o f

49 CFR Part 609 or Department of Transportation regu lations implementing section 504 of

the Rehabi litation Act of 1973 that were in effect before October 7, 1991 and which can be

entered and us ed from s tations in w hich they are to be operated, may be used to satisfy the

requirements of 49 CFR 37.93.

The ADA requires that at least one car in each train of two or more cars be accessible by

1995. Some op erators w ill choose to m ake existing cars accessible in ord er to me et th is

requirement. In such situations, this provision requires only that vehicles conform to the

following:

REQUIREMEN TS FOR RETROFITTED CARS

Priority sea tin g sign s an d signs desig nating w heelchair/ mobility aid locations (if su ch

locations are p rovided)

Clear floor space (so that a route 32 inches wide leading to an area that can

accommo date tw o wh eelchair spa ces each 30 by 48 inches in size is p rovid ed)

Slip resistan t floor surfaces

Board ing d evices (lift, ramp or bridge plate) w here level en try is not prov ided

One accessible door that in new and key stations:

- provides 32 inches o f clear width ;

- is designat ed by th e In te rnational Sym bol of Accessibility ; and

- is coordinated with the p latform so th at the horizon tal gap does not exceed 4

inches and the veh icle floor is within plu s or minu s 2 inches of the platform

height when th e vehicle is loaded to 50% of its capaci ty


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Existing vehicles that meet previous accessibility standard s can also be used to meet the

"one-car-per-train" rule without an y retrofit, provided they can be entered an d u sed from the

stations or stops at wh ich they ar e to be used . Specifically, these standa rds include those issu ed

by the FTA, vehicles obtained w ith FTA funds, and those issued by DOT un der Section 504 of

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which cover transit system s receiving Federal fund s. Further

inform ation on these stand ard s can be o btain ed from DOT.

1192.73 Doorways.

(a) Clear width. (1) All passenger doorways on vehic le sides shal l have minimum

clear openings of 32 inches when open.

This provision for a clear opening w idth of 32 inches has been in effec t since 1976 for

FTA-fun ded v ehicles and sho uld be met eas ily. The d oor w idt h specified is n ot design ed solely

to accommodate wh eelchair users. Rather, the dimension is d esigned to pr ovide space for

crutch-tip -to-crutch-tip d istance of a typical crut ch user. Also, the requ iremen t is for a "clear

opening." The provision of a wide doorway with a vertical stanchion in the center does not

meet the requirement.

(2) If doorways connecting adjoining cars in a multi-car train are provided, and if

such doorway is connected by an aisl e w ith a min imum clear w idth of 30 inches to on e or

more spaces where whe elchair or mobility aid users can be accommodated, then such

doorway shall have a mini mum clear open ing of 30 inches to permit wheelchair and

mobili ty aid users to be e vacuated to an adjoin ing veh icle in an emergency.

This requirement applies only to new vehicles equipped w ith end doors that can be

rea ched by a whe elchair or m obility aid user. This mean s th at w here there is a r oute at lea st 30

inches w ide lead ing from the area contain ing accessible spaces to the end d oor, then the end

doors mu st provide a minim um of 30 inches clear width . Since the clear area in w hich mobility

aid u sers can position themselves is usually located at the en ds of cars, the en d d oors will most

likely be in close proximity to accessible spaces. This requ iremen t does n ot apply to vehicles

that are desig ned with a route leading to the end door s that is less than 30 inches wide at any

point or th at is inaccessible in any other asp ect (e.g., s teps). How ever, this provision should not

be v iew ed as a n excuse to ar bit ra rily place stanch ion s or ar rang e sea ts t o p reclude a 30-in chwid e passa ge to avoid having to specify 30-inch wide end doors.

These guidelines do not address evacuation procedures or require that end doors be

used in em ergencies or that they be part of an evacuation route. For a variety of reasons, the

end do ors m ight n ot be used by a tran sit sys tem 's evacuation plan. In ad dit ion, a transit

system 's evacuation plan tha t requir es the use of side d oors w ould n ot be pr eclud ed by th is


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pro vision. Fur th er, the evacu ation ro ute lead ing from the tra in itself is often ina ccessible,

especially in the case of rapid rail where n arrow w alkways, catwalks, and escape ladders are

pa rt of ev acu ation rou tes fro m t un nels . Non eth eless, th e en d d oors of new veh icles can easily

be designed to be funct iona lly accessible (i.e., have 30 inches of clear width) and s hould be

accessible in caseth ey m ay serve as a n a ccessible mean s of egr ess. In limited emerg encies, such

as w hen t he side d oor s of a car fail, accessible end doors w ould be the on ly mean s of exit.

Addit iona lly, the Board recognizes that th is provision d oes not gu arantee access in to ad joining

cars sin ce existing cars ma y not have end doors w ith 30 inches of clear w idth. H owever, as old

cars are r eplaced over time and the num ber of accessible cars on each train increases, the

cha nces of pro vid ing an accessible connection b etw een cars will be greater.

Existing cars or cars r etrofitted un der the "one-car-per -train " rule are n ot su bject to th is

requirement.

(b) Signage. The International Symbol of Access ibil ity shall be displayed on the

exterior of each veh icle operating on an accessible light rail system unless all vehicles are

accessible and are no t marked by th e access symbol . (See Fig. 6)

Under this requ irement, all new vehicles must be

designated by the International Symbol of Accessibility

(access symbol) show n in Figure 6 below. H owever,

new veh icles acqu ired for a light ra il system in w hich

all vehicles are accessible and w hich are n ot designated

by t he s ym bol d o no t h ave to be de sign ated . In fully

accessible systems, consist ency is importan t, so th at ifexisting accessible vehicles are designated, n ew

vehicles should be design ated as wel l. Still, the Board

considers the access symbol to be at times subject to

over-use and thus recommends that transit operators

rem ove symbo ls w hen a ll cars are accessib le. Since

cars are u sually d esignated by d ecals, w hich even tually

wear and m ust be replaced, operators may opt to

sim ply not rep lace them.

The p lacem ent of the access symb ol is no t sp ecified by these gu idelines. It isrecom mend ed th at th e sym bol be placed a t each accessible p assen ger d oor of an a ccessible

veh icle. How ever , if the clear floor area for w heelchair or m obility aid users is prov ided a t only

one end of a ca r, then o nly those p assen ger doors at th at location sho uld be d esignated .


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(c) Signals. Auditory and visual w arning signals shal l be provided to alert

passe ngers of clos ing doo rs.

Audible sign als ar e req uired by exist ing FTA regu lation s, in effect since 1976. Audible

signals usually activate before the doors begin to close and th us provide advan ce warning that

the doors are about to close. Without visua l signals, persons w ith hearing impairm ents are not

afford ed an y equivalen t advan ce wa rning an d can on ly detect closin gs as the d oors actually

begin to close. According to inform ation received du ring th e dev elopm ent of th ese guid elines,

the ad dition of audible and visual w arning signals for auto matically-operated doors of new

vehicles is feasible and r epresen ts only a m odest cost increase for a chime, light, and asso ciated

electrical con trols at each d oorw ay. These signals are not requir ed to be provid ed on existing

vehicles or th ose that are retrofitted. Since proposed requirements for door closing force and

speed hav e been removed, the Board considers the provision of audible and visual indicators to

be o f eve n g rea ter importance .

The term "passengers" means persons within the trans it system including th ose who are

on the train and those waiting to board. Therefore, warning signals should be visible from both

inside and outsid e the veh icle. This can be achieved by equipp ing th e entra nces of new

vehicles with both an inte rior and exterior ligh t ind icator. Also, it is con ceivable that a single

light ind icator , by either its illu min ation level, design, or placement ma y be specified so th at it

is visible both inside and o utside the vehicle. Either m ethod of addr essing this requirement is

acceptable so long as it provides a visua l warning that door s are about to close. Further, vis ual

indicators should be synchronized with au dible signals so that equivalent advance notification

of door closu re is prov ided to all person s, including those w ith hea ring or visual impairm ents.

(d) Coordination with boarding platform. - (1) Requirements. The design o f leve l-

entry vehicle s shall be coordinated w ith the boarding platform or mini-high platform design

so that the horizontal gap betw een a veh icle at rest and the pl atform shall be no greater than

3 inches and the he ight of the veh icle floor shal l be w ithi n plus or minus 5/8 inch of the

platform height. Vertical ali gnment may be accomplished by vehicle air suspensi on,

autom atic ramps or lif ts, or any combin ation .

This provision an d the exceptions that follow outline the maximum hor izontal gap and

vertical tolerance allowed. How ever, vehicles should be sp ecified to be level with the platformedge and as close to it horizontally as possible, so that un der norm al passen ger cond itions these

maximu m levels are not exceeded . These tolerances, even w hen sp ecified in the acquisition of

new veh icles, m ay not be ach ieved und er a ll con ditions throu ghout th e ve hicle lifetime. The

requirements are based on norm al passenger cond itions. It is incumben t on the op erator not

only to specify the correct floor height w hen ordering v ehicles (and to accept them only if they


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meet th e sp ecification) bu t also t o correctly specify the ra il-to -platform he igh t for ne w sta tions .

Thus, it is impor tant to keep in mind t hat the ho rizontal gap and ver tical tolerance are

dep end ent not on ly on the vehicle specifications but also the d esign and construction of station

plat fo rms. Those requirements , inc luding gap r equi rements and the ra il-to -plat fo rm he ight , are

provid ed at 49 CFR Pa rt 37, Ap pen dix A.

In those instances where a n ew ligh t rail system could n ot meet these ga p requirem ents,

the op erator w ould be able to p ursu e alternative means of reducing g aps u nd er the procedu re

for equivalent facilitation contained in DOT's rule (see 49 CFR 37.7). Also, the Board recognizes

that close tolerances du rin g con str uction o r manu facture ca nnot insu re continu ed conform ance

to a given standard . Variations, such as those resulting from norm al wear or materia l

variations wou ld not be d eemed violations of the guidelines. How ever, only those variations

within the limits of accepted indu stry practices or tolerances are allowed. (See Subp art A at the

beginning of this manual for further d iscussion o f dimensional to lerances .) Adequate

maintenan ce must be performed to ensu re the vehicles remain with in acceptable tolerances.

(2) Exception. N ew vehicles operating in existing stations may have a f loor height

within plus or minus 1-1/2 inches of the platform height. At key stations , the horizontal gap

between at least one d oor of each such vehi cle and the platform shall be no greater than 3

inches.

The ability to closely align new vehicles with exis ting station platfo rms is limited by the

rail-to-platform heig ht an d the v ertical distan ce betw een the track and t he p latform. Existing

stations are not requ ired to be altered un der th e ADA , unless they ar e a "key" stat ion. This

pro vis ion allow s new vehicles serving exist ing stations, includ ing key sta tions, a great ervertical toleran ce since the existing p latform heigh t may m ake the 5/ 8 inch tolerance infeasible.

Nev ertheless, the g oal is for the veh icle floor and platform to be at th e same h eight. The great er

allow ance und er this p rovision is not an excuse to cre ate unn ecessar y barriers.

A consistent horizontal gap along all vehicles of a train may not be feasible due to the

design of existing stations, such as those that h ave curved platforms. (This, however, is more

pert inen t t o commu ter and rapid r ai l s ta tions). In view of t his, the three-inch h or izon ta l gap

requirement has been limited only to key sta tions, wh ich are req uir ed to be made accessible

un der the ADA, and does n ot apply to other existing sta tions. Further, only one door of a new

vehicle is requ ired to m eet the 3 inch g ap req uiremen t since, in the case of cu rved sta tions, aun iform gap cannot be achieved along the entire side a veh icle. A transit system could, as one

transit operator h as suggested, designate one location wh ere such tolerances are achieved along

a portion of a curved station p latform. N ew veh icles could be or dered with a slight sill

pro tru sion to red uce the h orizont al gap in station s wh ere a w ider ga p cur rently exists .


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(3) Exception. Retrofit ted vehicles shall be coordina ted with the platform in new and

key stati ons such th at the horizontal gap shall be n o greater than 4 inches and the he ight of

the v ehicle f loor, under 50% pass enger load, shall be w ithi n plus or minus 2 inches of the

platform height.

This exception p ertains to exist ing vehicles t hat are m ad e accessible u nd er t he "one-car-

per- train" ru le . Genera lly, ex isting vehicles cannot be coordinated w ith the plat fo rm to the

degree that new vehicles can. Even if feasible, retro fitting existing vehicles to meet the

requiremen ts for new vehicles, could be ver y expensive. Consequ ently, this exception allows a

greater and more easily achievable horizontal gap and vertical tolerance. These veh icles need

to be aligned with the p latform at new stations or key stations so that the h orizont al gap does

not exceed 4 inches and the vertical tolerance is less than 2 inches. While the Board does not

consider such a gap to be ind ependen tly negotiable by m any wh eelchair user s, such vehicles

will eventu ally be p hased ou t as new veh icles are ad ded to t he system .

HORIZON TAL AND VERTICA L TOLERAN CES

NEW

STATIONS

KEY (EXISTING)

STATIONS

NEW VEH ICLES 3" hori zontal gap

5/ 8" vertical toleran ce

3" hor izontal gap (1 door )

1-1/ 2" vertical tolerance*

RETROFITTED

VEHICLES

4" horizontal gap

2" vertical toleran ce

4" hor izontal gap (1 door )

2" vertical toleran ce

* Also app lies to new vehicles opera ting at existing stations, not only key stations.

(4) Exception. Where it is not operationally or structurally practicabl e to m eet the

horizontal or vertical requirements of paragraphs (d)(1), (2) or (3) of this section , platform or

vehicle devices complying w ith 1192.83(b) or platform or vehicle mounted ramps or bridge

plates comply ing wi th 1192.83(c) shall be provided.

This exception acknowledges that, in man y systems, high platforms are n ot

operationally feasible and p ertains to those system s that are not requ ired to p rovided levelboard ing. Such system s are requ ired to p rovid e access from low p lat forms w ith car-born e,

plat fo rm-mounted , or port ab le lifts in acco rdance wi th the s pecifications for l ifts . Access may

also be provided by ram ps or bridge plates meeting the applicable requirements. Such ramp s

or brid ge plates m ay be au tomatically or man ually d eployed .


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1192.75 Priority seating sign s.

(a) Each vehi cle shall contain sign(s) w hich in dicate that certain se ats are priority

seats fo r persons w ith d isabilities , and that other passengers sh ould make such seats

available to those who wis h to use them.

The content of signs is not specified by th is requirement an d is left up to the d iscretion

of transit operators. At a minimu m, the sign should indicate which seats are int end ed for u se

by p ersons w ith d isabil ities.

(b) Where designated w heelchair or mobil ity aid seating l ocations are prov ided, signs

shall indicate the location and advise other passenge rs of the need to permit wheelchair and

mobility aid users to occupy them.

This requirement p ertains to vehicles that p rovide specific locations for wh eelchair or

mobility aid users. Sometimes, these areas are accessed by folding up a regular seat. Operators

should tak e into accoun t how one accesses and uses su ch locations in d etermining the content

of signs. This provision is not inten ded to suggest that specified areas o r "bays" be provid ed.

(c) Characters on signs required by paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section shall have a

width-to-he ight ratio be tween 3:5 and 1:1 and a strok e w idth-to-he ight ratio between 1:5 and

1:10, with a mi nimu m character height (using an upper case "X") of 5/8 inch, w ith "wide"

spacing (gen erally , the space b etwee n letters shall be 1/16 the he ight of upper case l etters),

and s hall contrast with the backgroun d, ei ther light-on-dark or dark-on-lig ht.

These requirem ent s for the characte r height an d p roportion are based on existing

Fed era l requ irem ents for b uilding and facilit y sign age, au gmen ted by the resu lts of research

sponsored by the Board. Contrast can be provided ei ther with light characters on a dark

backgrou nd or d ark cha racters on a light backg rou nd . How ever, light-colored cha racters

against a dark backgrou nd are p referred since st ud ies have show n that th is type of cont rast is

more read able for persons w ith low vision. A minimu m level or percentage o f contrast

betw een char acters and the ba ckgrou nd of the sign is n ot specified. Research, how ever,

indicates that signs are more legible for persons with low vision when characters contrast with

their background by at least 70 percent. Contrast in percent is determined by:Contra st = [(B1- B2)/ B1] x 100

wh ere B1= light reflectance valu e (LRV) of the light er area and B2= light reflectance value (LRV) of the d arker a rea.

Note t ha t in an y applica tion b oth w hite an d black are never absolu te;thus, B1ne ver equ als 100 and B2is alw ays gr eat er than 0.


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Although not requ ired, it is also recomm end ed that the characters and background of

signs should be eggshell, matte, or other non -glare finish. An eggshell finish (11 to 19 degree

gloss on 60 d egr ee g lossimeter) is preferr ed .

1192.77 Interior circulation , handrails and stanchions.

(a) Handrail s and stanchions shall be sufficient to permit safe boarding, on-board

circulation, seating and standing assistance, and alighting by persons w ith disabilities.

This provision is written a s a general performance requir ement in order to allow as

man y options as possible in the d esign of accessible vehicles. Hand rails and stanch ions must

be placed near t he d oors an d alon g the p ath of en tran ce into the v ehicle for those usin g crutch es

or walkers, among others. However, they shoul d not interfere or restrict the necessary

clearance at doors or along an accessible route leading to accessible spaces as requi red by the

following p rovision.

(b) At entrances equipped wi th steps, handrail s and stanchions shall be provided in

the e ntrance to the veh icle in a configu ration w hich allow s pas sengers to grasp such ass ists

from outside the vehicle while starting to board, and to continue using such handrails or

stanchions throughout the boarding process. Handrails shal l have a cross-sectional diameter

between 1-1/4 inches and 1-1/2 inches or shall provide an equiv alent grasping surface, and

have ease d edges w ith co rner radii of not l ess than 1/8 inch. Handrails s hall be placed to

provide a minimum 1-1/2 inches knuckle clearance from the nearest adjacent surface. Where

on-board fare coll ection devices are used, a horizontal passeng er assist sh all be l ocated

between boarding passengers and the fare collection device and shall prevent passengersfrom sustaining in juries on the fare collection device or windshield in the event of a sudden

deceleration. Without res tricting the vestibule space, the ass ist shall provide support for a

boarding passenger from the d oor through the boarding p rocedure. Pass engers shall be able

to lean against the assist fo r security w hile payi ng fares.

Stepped entran ces are required to be equipped with hand rails and stanchions that can

be r each ed by th e p ass en ger from th e ou tsid e be fore act ually stepping in to t he veh icle. Such

hand rails and stanchions must be placed so that passengers can use them at all stages of the

boarding p athw ay . This par t of t he req uiremen t is d erived from 49 CFR Pa rt 609, in e ffect s ince1976. This w ould in clude a horizontal rail in fron t of any fare collection de vice, which not only

prov ides s uppo rt whil e paying fa re s but can he lp prevent so meon e from fa lling ag ai ns t the fa re

box or wind shield du ring a sud den stop.

Most car han drails ar e mad e of pipe. In th e buildin g indu stry , pip e size typically

specifies insid e diameter so th at a 1-1/ 2 inch p ipe h andr ail actu ally h as a larger ou tsid e


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diam eter, sometim es up to 2 inches. Such h and rails have not p osed a ny kn own prob lem. Thus,

the 1-1/ 2 inch diam eter requ irement can resu lt in a hand rail of approximately 2 inches u nd er

current bu ild ing in du str y practices.

(c) At all d oors on level-entry vehicles , and at each entrance accessibl e by l ift, ramp,

bridge plate or other suitable means, handrai ls, stanchions, pass enger seats, veh icle driver

seat platforms, and f are boxes, if appli cable, shall b e located so as to allo w a route at l east 32

inches w ide s o that at least two w heelchair or mobil ity aid users can enter the vehicle and

posi tion the w heelchairs or mobi lity aids in areas, each havin g a minimum clear space of 48

inches by 30 inches, whi ch do not undu ly restrict movement of othe r passengers. Space to

accommodate wheelchairs and mobili ty aids may be provided wi thin the normal area used

by standees and designation of s pecific spaces i s not required. Particular attention shall be

given to ensu ring maximu m maneuverabili ty imm ediately insi de doors. Amp le vertical

stanchions from ceiling to se at-back rails shall be provided. Vertical stanchio ns from ceili ng

to fl oor shall not i nterfere wi th whe elchair or mobi lity aid circulation and shall be kep t to a

minimum in the vicini ty of accessible doors.

Designating a ccessible spaces for wheelchair or mobility aid users is not r equired.

During th e development of these guidelines, it was apparent tha t some trans it operato rs

ass um ed th at "bays" or "be rths" wou ld have to be p rovid ed in ord er t o meet this requirement.

Such accommod ations are not required or recomm ended. All that must be provided is enough

clear floor space so that two w heelchair or mobility aid users can board and position

themselves on the veh icle. The 30 by 48 inch dimen sion is based on the stand ard space

allowance for a person in a wh eelchair. The clear floor area where per sons with disab ilities canposi tion themselves mus t be connec ted t o the doors by a ro ute wi th at leas t 32 inches o f clear

width . The clear floor space that is typically provided for standees is usually large enough to

meet this requirement.

Hand rails or stanchions must be placed so that t he required clear floor spaces and

routes are not obstru cted. It is also recommen ded , but n ot requ ired, th at consideration be given

to th e proximity of h andr ails or stanchion s to th e area in w hich wheelchair or mobility aid

users may position themselves. When id entifying the clear floor space where a w heelchair or

mobility aid user can be accom mod ated, it is suggested that at least one such area be a djacent

to, or in close proximity to a hand rail or stanchion. Of course, such a han drail or stanchioncann ot encroach up on the req uired 32 inch w idth requ ired for th e doorw ay or th e rou te lead ing

to the clear floor space which mu st be at least 30 by 48 inches in size. This recomm end ation

should not be interpret ed as a requirement that t he area where wheelch air or mobility aid users

can position themselves be designated at a specific location. It is importan t that whee lchair and


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mobility aid u sers have as many op tions as possible in positioning them selves in view of the

crow ding t hat can take p lace an d the lim ited tim e allowed to ent er o r exit th e vehicle.

There is no requ irem ent for secu rem ent sy stem s or tie-d own d evices. P rev iou s re sea rch

conducted for DOT and comments received du ring th e development of these guid elines

indicate that such d evices are not need ed on light rail vehicles because of the low acceleration

and deceleration forces.

1192.79 Floo rs, s teps and thresholds.

(a) Floor surfaces on aisles, step treads, places for standees, and areas where

wheelchair and mobil ity aid users are to be accomm odated shall be slip-resi stant.

A sp ecific measur e, or static coefficient of friction , has not been specified for slip-

resista nce . Slip r esistance is ba sed on the frictiona l force necessary to keep a shoe h eel o r crutch

tip from slipp ing on a w alking su rface und er co nd itions likely to be found on the su rface.

While the dyn amic coefficient of friction d uring w alking varies in a complex and n on-uniform

wa y, the static coefficient of friction, wh ich can be m easured in several w ays, prov ides a close

ap proximation of the slip resistan ce of a su rface. Contrary to commo n b elief, some slippage is

necessary for walk ing, esp ecially for persons w ith res tricted gaits. A truly "non -slip " sur face

cou ld not be n ego tiated .

The Occupational Safety and Health Ad ministration r ecommend s that w alking surfaces

hav e a static coefficient of friction of 0.5. A research project spon sored by the Board cond ucted

tests with persons with d isabilities and concluded that a higher coefficient of friction was

need ed by such p ersons. A static coefficient of friction of 0.6 is recommen ded for steps, floors,and lift p latforms an d 0.8 for r amps.

The coefficient of friction varies considerably due to the presen ce of contamin ants,

water, floor finishes, and other factors not under the con trol of transit prov iders and may be

difficult to measu re. Nevertheless, many common m aterials suitable for flooring are now

labeled w ith information on the static coefficient of friction. While it may not be p ossible to

compare on e pr oduct d irectly w ith another, or to gu arantee a con stan t measure, transit

operators or vehicle designers and m anufacturers are encouraged to specify materials with

app ropriate valu es. As more p roducts includ e information on slip resistance, imp roved

un iformity in m easuremen t and specification is likely to develop. The Board has pu blished abrochure, "Slip Resistant Surfaces," available at no cost , wh ich provides ad ditional information

and adv isory guidelines on slip resistant sur faces.

A variety of commo n m ater ials u sed on t ransit vehicle floor s can provid e ad equ ate slip

resistance. Comm on rubberized matting may be slip resistant depend ing on the orientation of


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the grooves. Carpet is more variable depend ing on pile and weave and should probabl y be

tested before it is specified.

(b) All thres holds and step edges shal l hav e a band of colo r(s) running the ful l w idth

of the step or threshold which contrasts from the step tread and riser or adjacent floor, either

light-on-dark or dark-on-light.

The band of contrasting color required by this provision must span the full width of the

threshold and steps along the n osing. However, a minimu m w idth for the band itself is not

specified. The Board recommen ds a minim um of three inches, although the actual size is left to

the d iscretion of operators. Althou gh a m inimu m level of contra st for this ban d is not specified,

it is recommend ed th at th e follow ing form ula be used in determin ing the cont rast level:

Contra st = [(B1- B2)/ B1] x 100

wh ere B1= light reflectance valu e (LRV) of the light er area and B2= light reflectance valu e (LRV) of the d arker a rea.

Note t ha t in an y applica tion both w hi te an d black are never absolu te;thus, B1ne ver equ als 100 and B2is alw ays gr eat er than 0.

1192.81 Lighting.

(a) Any step well o r doorway w ith a l ift, ramp or bridg e plate immediately adjacent to

the driver shall have, when the door is open, at leas t 2 footcandles of il lumination measured

on the step tread or lift platform.

This requirement is based on existing FTA requ irements for light rail vehicles and

pert ain s on ly to th e in ter ior ligh tin g p rovid ed at en tran ces eq uipped with boa rd ing d evices.

The r equirement only pertains to open d oors so th at th e light w ill not reflect off the w ind shield

wh ile the vehicle is moving. The measurem ent pertains to all step treads of the entrance or to

the lift platform at floor level. While a maximum light ing level is not specified, h igh leve ls may

increase the time necessary for th e vision of exiting p assen gers to ad just to a d arker, nighttime

environment.

(b) Other stepw ells, and doorways w ith lifts, ramps or bridge plates, shall have , at all

times, at least 2 footcandles o f ill umination measured on the step tread or lift or ramp, whe n

deployed at the vehicle floor level.


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This p rovision requir es th e sam e level of light ing in ot her do orways w ith board ing

devices and stepwells of the vehicle. Since such stepwell lighting would n ot interfere with the

operator's visibility, the minimu m level is requ ired at all times.

(c) The doorways of vehic les not operating at lighted station platforms shall have

outside lights w hich provide at least 1 footcandle of illumination on the station platform or

street surface for a distance of 3 fe et perpendicular to all points on the bottom step tread.

Such lights shall be located below window level and shiel ded to protect the eyes of entering

and exiting passengers.

This p rovision is also based on an exist ing FTA

requirements and specifies that the 3 foot distance is to be

measu red perpend icularly from th e step tread, as shown in

the figure. The m eaning of "3 feet p erpend icular to all

poin ts on th e bottom step tr ead outer edge" is to define a

rectang le on the groun d out side the veh icle do or w hich is

three feet d eep an d as w ide as th e door lower st ep. In most

cases, the actual area illuminated w ill be a semi-circular

pat tern. Such a p attern wou ld m eet the ab ove requ iremen t

as long as the sp ecified rectangle wer e illumin ated.

This requirement pert ains only to vehicles that serve

un lighted stations. While t hese guide lines p ertain only to v ehicles, n ot station s, it is

recommended th at stations be lighted to serve both those passengers wa iting at stati ons andthose passengers entering or exiting veh icles. If stations are lighted , vehicle doorw ays do n ot

have to be illuminated .

1192.83 Mobility aid accessibility.

(a)(1) General. Al l new light rail vehicles, other than level entry vehicles, covered by

this sub part shall provide a l evel -change me chanis m or boarding d evice (e.g., lift, ramp or

bridge plate) comply ing w ith either paragraph (b) or (c) of thi s section and suff icient

clearances to p ermit at least two wheel chair or mobili ty aid users to reach areas, each w ith aminimu m clear floor space of 48 inches b y 30 inches , whi ch do not unduly restrict passeng er

flow . Space to accommodate w heelchairs and mobility aids may be provided withi n the

normal area used by s tandees and des ignation of specifi c spaces i s not required.


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This requirement for board ing devices applies only to light rail systems tha t do n ot

pr ovid e level b oar din g. This w ou ld a pp ly to t he v ehicles o f new syste ms wher e level b oar din g

is provided at some but n ot all stops. The clearances required for access to seating locations

wou ld include th ose for doorways (section 1192.73) and for interior circulation (section

1192.77).

(2) Exception. If lif ts, ramps or bridge plates meet ing the requi rements of this section

are provid ed on station platforms or other stops, or mini -high p latforms c omplying with

1192.73(d) are provid ed, at stations or stops required to be accessib le by 49 CFR Part 37, the

vehicle is not required to be equ ipped w ith a car-borne device . Where each new vehicle is

compatible w ith a sin gle pl atform-mou nted access sys tem or dev ice, addi tional s ystems or

devices are not required for each vehicle provided that the sing le dev ice coul d be used to

provide access to each new vehicle if passe ngers usi ng w heelchairs or mobili ty aids could

not be accommodated on a single vehicle.

New , no n-level en try ca rs a re n ot r equired to b e eq uipped with boa rd ing d evices if s uch

devices ar e pr ovid ed at station pla tform s or m ini-high pla tform s are provid ed. To meet th is

exception, boarding devices or mini-high platforms would h ave to be provided at all stations

and stops required to be accessible. However, transit operators should consider wh ich option

(board ing devices on cars or at stations) offers the m ost accessibility in d eterm ining their course

of action.

The Board received som e comment s from operators of light rail sy stem s who currently

use platform-moun ted (waysid e) lifts or mini-high platforms with w hich the ope rator aligns

one door of the v ehicle. The operators su ggested that the second vehicle shou ld not be requiredto be accessible so that a second lift or mini-high platform w ould not be need ed to serve the

second vehicle in the train. The ADA, how ever, is explicit that, except for specific provisions

for intercity rail cars, all new vehicles mu st be accessible. Therefore, th e final gu idelines r equ ire

that every new vehicle be able to be entered and used an d accommod ate at least two

wh eelchair or mobility aid users. The current req uiremen t does not requ ire the provision of

add itional lifts or platforms at a station if other vehi cles of the train which are required to be

accessible are com patible with, an d can be serv ed by, the lift or p latform if position ed prop erly.

In practical terms, the dr iver w ould a lign the d oor o f the first car with the lift or mini-

high platform and allow all passengers using wh eelchairs or mobility aids to board. If all thewaiting passengers wh o need the lift or platform can be accomm odated on the first car, the

train w ould n ot n eed to m ove t o allow boarding of the secon d ca r. The tran sit agency should,

therefore, carefully assess th e interior layou t of its cars to ensure tha t sufficient clear floor area

is p rov ided to accom mod ate all th e an ticip ated w heelchair and mobility aid users for a trip . If a

larger num ber of such passengers presented th emselves at a stop, and a second car were n ot


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full, it may be discriminatory un der the DO T rule not to mov e the train to allow those

pass en ge rs to b oa rd the second ca r. Thi s po tent ial s itu at ion is one of the re asons why the Board

strongly urges pl anners and desi gners to provide level boarding from full length high

platform s wh erever p racticable.

(b) Vehicle lift. - (1) Design lo ad. The desi gn load of the lift shall be at least 600

pounds. Working parts, such as cables, pul leys, and shafts , which can be expected to w ear,

and upon which the lif t depend s for support of the load, shall have a safety factor of at least

six, based on the ultimate strength of

Light Rail

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