**DRA FT RECOMMENDA** **TIONS FOR VERTICA L MOVEMENT OF PA** **SSENGERS**

**USING WHEELCHA IRS OR OTHERWISE MOBILITY IMPA**  **RED BETWEEN LEVELS**

**ON NEW INTERCITY (A MTRA**  **K) P AS**  **SENGER CA RS.** 

APPLICABILITY: This applies to New Bi

- Level Intercity Lounge Cars built for Amtrak and any bi

-level equipment used by successors to an Amtrak route acquired by another operating entity or company as sanctioned under PRIAA. Lounge means any car with a primary function tha t is to enhance the passenger experience beyond the purchased coach or sleeper accommodation. This requirement extends to any bi

-level car, with or without food service, except diners, that has non

- revenue seating available to all passengers on the train o n a first come basis. Full service Diners with a lower level kitchen that is not designed for passenger use are not required to have built

- in vertical access. While not considered true bi

-level cars, single level cars traditionally known as “dome cars” tha t offer an elevated area designed for viewing scenery, with or without food service, must have a number of accessible seating spaces and vertical access to reach the viewing level. Accessible spaces in the dome car may be convertible for use by other passe ngers when passengers using wheelchairs are not present. Suggested Additional Applicability:

1. All bi

- level Intercity Long Distance Lounge cars which have primary function that is enhanced by the ability to view out of the car and is designed to enhance vie wing at the second level. 2. All bi

- level Intercity Long Distance bi

- level coaches. 3. All bi

- level Intercity Long Distance sleepers. (Key points are the number of rooms accessible per car, the type of room, upstairs and downstairs etc.) 4. All bi

- level Intercity L ong Distance Diner cars. Accessible from the adjacent car or dining tables are provided in the Lounge car. (The entire lower level of the diners is consumed by the kitchen.)
Guiding Principles

1. Features providing access for people with disabilities must be equivalent to those provided others in terms of functionality and aesthetics, and must not segregate individuals with disabilities. 2. Accessible features should be the norm for everyone. 3. There may not be restrictions on using any facilities or features until the train is stopped. 4. Safety concerns must be balanced with the underlying civil rights principles of the ADA. 5. Establishing policy mandates will drive the development of improved generations of technology. 6. All train cars should be accessible.7. Access Board guidelines should promote the development of technology, and not

freeze current technology in place. 8. Every circulation path used by the public needs an accessible route. 9. We must consider the growing demographics (the graying of America) when we establish scoping for accessible features.

REQUIREMENTS New intercity bi

- level passenger trains have some means of transferring passengers using wheelchairs, or who otherwise cannot negotiate stairs, between the levels. The goal is to expand the full rail travel exp erience for passengers who might otherwise miss out on key features of train travel. The following features and requirements apply:

1. All vertical load bearing features designed with a safety factor of three 2. Accessible path from the vehicle entrance to the l if t device 3. Accessible path from the lower level accessible spaces, restrooms etc. to the lift device 4. Accessible path from the lift device to upper level accessible spaces. 5. Lift device shall not require backing in or backing out. 6. Lift must function with or without Head End Power and include a manual function in the case of total power loss. 7. Appropriate electrical and or mechanical safety devices to insure that the lift cannot operate unless the user is safely aboard the lift. 8. Gates, doors, guards, etc. must include interlocks to insure safe operation yet have sufficient tolerance and latitude to prevent system faults due to train motion and normal wear of components. 9. Lift platform shall be the same size as required for wayside and car bourne lifts 10. The lift ma y be a vertical style or a stair lift but the lift may not impede the stairway
use. 11. The lift must include a fold down seat and horizontal and vertical hand rails on at least one side of the lift “car” 12. If the lift does not allow for direct entrance then the dimensions for boarding the lift must be at least equal to the requirements for maneuvering a wheelchair into an alcove. 13. The lift must operate normally at the maximum track super elevation with the train stopped (approximately 7 degrees. 14. Lift must operate in emergency mode to within x degrees of the car’s rollover angle. (This must be studied to see how the movement within the car affects the vehicle’s center of gravity in extreme cases.) (The concept of this performance requirement is so that as long as a car is not on its side or in eminent danger of falling over that the lift can provide safe movement to the lower level) 15. The lift frame must be of sufficient strength or otherwise so designed and installed as to function when the car is at its maximum desi gned diagonal misalignment (end

- to

- end twist) 16. Gates, doors, guards, hand rails etc. must be designed to contain the maximum load required for the lift when subject to the FRA required loading of 4g vertical, 4glateral and 8g longitudinal and remain functi onal after the event. (For FRA does this

mean when the device is loaded to its maximum capacity?) 17. Emergency stop devices must be available on

- board the device and on both levels. 18. The maximum travel time between levels is X seconds 19. The lift system should have soft starts and stops. 20. The lift system should have obstruction detection 21. The lift must work reliably whether the train is in motion or not.

ANCILLARY REQUIREMENTS:

1. Cars with upper level restrooms must have an accessible restroom if the car includes ve rtical access or is available by design from a car with vertical access. 2. Cars with vertical access with restrooms on the lower level are not required to have upper level restrooms. (This is stated because PRIIA bi

-level cars have non

-

ADA restrooms on the s econd level and a reduced number of restrooms on the lower level. The net number of toilets remains the same and seating is expanded on the lower level and reduced on the upper level. The reason for restrooms on the second level is that negotiating the sta irs is a growing problem for ambulatory passengers primarily due to age. If the upper level and lower level must have the accessible restrooms then the primary function of the car as an enhancement to travel is greatly reduced because the number of passeng ers that can use the car is reduced.) 3. The quantity of accessible spaces should be on one level or divided between levels but the final quantity should not be greater than cars without vertical access. Convertible seating should be used to maximize the avai lable seating space when persons using wheelchairs are not present.

ECONOMIC RISKS:

1. Applying vertical access to non

- revenue cars has limited economic impact and may in fact encourage passengers who cannot use stairs to choose the train for travel. The prim ary costs are any extra cost for the equipment and maintenance over time. 2. Applying vertical access to revenue cars, i.e. coaches and sleepers will have a direct affect in lost revenue capacity. The physical impact and corresponding fiscal impact must be re viewed prior to NPRM. 3. There is a very real possibility that the economics will no longer justify building new bi

- level Intercity Long Distance cars. The advent of bi

-level cars on intercity long distance trains is driven by multiple economic goals. The enh ancement of viewing due to the extra height was nice but the bi

-level intercity car came about just before the number of airline passengers surpassed train passengers and railroad were trying to maintain service. Bi

-level cars allowed the railroad to incre ase the number of passengers per car. The capital and operating investment per passenger on a higher capacity car is lower and thus the profit (or loss reduction) is greater. There is a huge risk that the economic efficiencies of bi

-level intercity cars wi ll be lost to accessible features. This comment does not apply to Lounge cars as defined at the front of this document. A proper study should be made.4. The details governing the construction of lifts should be done with guidance from

requirements in the bui lt environment with full consideration that weight and space are big concerns for rail cars. This does not mean that safety or utility is compromised but following requirements for the built environment could unduly consume space.

PHYSICAL RISK:

1. Dynamic factors during normal train operation will affect the operational reliability of the system. Unlike the built environment, railcars experience lateral, vertical, longitudinal and torsional movement. These movements can occur suddenly with no planning or wa rning. 2. The effects of train operation today at 90mph and at PRIAA specified speeds of 125mph on the integrity and safety of a lift system are not known. 3. The compact environment of a passenger car coupled with the dynamic effects may present challenges for independent operation that need to be resolved.