High-floor

Last updated

In this high-floor trolleybus, four steps must be negotiated during entry and exit. King County Metro MAN trolleybus 4032 in U District.jpg
In this high-floor trolleybus, four steps must be negotiated during entry and exit.
High-floor coach, giving three steps for entry and exit. Setra Bus Mannheim 100 8503.jpg
High-floor coach, giving three steps for entry and exit.

High-floor describes the interior flooring of commuter vehicles primarily used in public transport such as trains, light rail cars and other rail vehicles, along with buses and trolleybuses. Interior floor height is generally measured above the street surface or above the top of the rail. High-floor designs usually result from packaging requirements: mechanical items such as axles, motors, crankshafts, and/or transmissions, or luggage storage spaces are traditionally placed under the interior floor of these vehicles. The term is used in contrast with low-floor designs, which offer a decreased floor and entry height above the street surface. Since low-floor designs generally were developed after high-floor vehicles, the older high-floor design is sometimes also known as conventional or the “traditional” design.

Contents

Rail

Heavy rail

High floor train in Russia DT1-00902.jpg
High floor train in Russia
High floor train with ramp in Brisbane Electric wheelchair boarding Queensland Rail SMU260 Platform 3 Sunnybank Railway Station DSCF7806.jpg
High floor train with ramp in Brisbane

A rail vehicle of conventional or high-floor design usually has a flat floor ranging between 760 and 1,370 mm (30 and 54 in) above the top of the railhead (ATOR). To enhance accessibility and optimize dwell times, railway platform heights at stations are sometimes standardised to allow level boarding for commuters on high platforms. According to one definition, level boarding means the gap between the platform and the floor of the track varies by no more than 76 mm (3 in) horizontally and 16 mm (58 in) vertically. [1] Level boarding is also known as stepless entry since passengers do not have to negotiate a staircase to board the passenger car.

For newly constructed routes, routes primarily located in tunnels, or routes with a dedicated right of way and enough space, high platforms are usually preferred, since high-floor vehicles are cheaper to manufacture, and have better operating characteristics. High platforms do have significant advantages beyond level boarding for wheelchair accessibility. Physically disabled passengers (e.g. those using wheelchairs or who have difficulties climbing stairs) also benefit, as do travelers pulling wheeled luggage or small folding shopping carts. Even physically non-disabled passengers can board a railcar more rapidly if they do not have to climb stairs to enter, reducing dwell time at a stop, and reducing overall travel time. In addition, high-platform railcars have more floor space for passengers if space is not required for stairways, and wheelwells needed to accommodate train bogies.

Because bilevel rail cars have two passenger levels within a standard height rail car, the lower level, where passengers board, is generally lower than a conventional high-floor car. Hence level boarding with a bilevel car is accomplished using a lower platform, as low as 460 mm (18 in) ATOR. [2]

Light rail

Because tram/light-rail/streetcar vehicles often share loading gauge sizes with heavy rail vehicles, these passenger vehicles usually also use high floor designs. Existing tram/streetcar/light-rail networks generally feature low platforms as many of the stations or stops are in the streets. The high construction/conversion cost of high platforms and the difficulty of making high platforms compatible with other features of the urban landscape are a significant obstacle to converting tram networks these into urban or commuter rail networks with high platforms.

These problems were a major motivation for the development of low-floor trams, which allow transit operators to avoid the retrofitting of high platforms on existing routes, while still providing improved accessibility. Although low-floor vehicles began to be developed in the 1920s, the first low-floor tram is generally recognized as the Duewag/ACM Vevey design of 1984 deployed in Geneva, providing a floor height of 480 mm (19 in) ATOR. [3]

Bus

Wheelchair lift on Muni #7041, a New Flyer E60 high floor trolleybus Wheelchair lift SF 7041.jpg
Wheelchair lift on Muni #7041, a New Flyer E60 high floor trolleybus

Tourist coaches generally have very high floors, sometimes greater than 1,000 mm (39 in) above the road surface, in order to have ample room for luggage under the floor. Since boarding must be allowed directly from flat ground, long and steep staircases are needed. Transit buses also use high floors to provide mechanical clearances for solid axles, but the use of dropped axles has enabled the creation of low-floor buses and by 2008 in the United States, the majority of new transit bus orders were for low-floor types. [4]

Use

Europe

Germany

Today, in Germany, all rapid transit railways, most commuter trains, and many light rail vehicles operate as high-floor networks. A notable exception is the city railway in Cologne; in the mid-1990s, it was decided to divide that city's partially high-platform network into two separate networks: high-floor and low-floor.

In contrast with some light rail underground lines, which are often provisionally equipped with low platforms or with tracks laid on raised ballast, there are new developments in the German cities of Düsseldorf (Wehrhahn line) and Dortmund (east–west line). In each of these cities, a new underground light rail line is equipped with platforms for low-floor trams and will be permanently operated with low-floor vehicles. This form of design and construction will avoid the need for subsequent rebuilding of stops on tram routes, even though both cities already have underground lines with high-floor platforms.

United Kingdom

Buses in the UK were traditionally step-entrance built, however this has created problems with people who are wheelchair bound as they are not wheelchair accessible, as well as being somewhat difficult for passengers with reduced mobility and parents who may be carrying prams and pushchairs.

Despite low-floor buses first being phased into the UK in 1994, a large number of step-entrance buses remained in use as well as being manufactured. However with the popularity of low-floor buses expanding by the late 1990's due to their easy accessibility for elderly passengers with reduced mobility, passengers with disabilities and parents carrying prams and pushchairs, the production of step-entrance buses slowed, with the last ever non-compliant step-entrance bus design being the double-decked East Lancs Pyoneer in 1997.

The production of step-entrance buses in the UK almost fully ceased by 31 December 2000, with the legal requirement for new buses produced to be wheelchair accessible, which forced bus manufacturers to concentrate on making low-floor buses, however bus operators were still allowed to order secondhand non-compliant step-entrance buses and run them on their services until they reach the end of their economic or maintainable life. To get around this, a wheelchair compliant step-entrance bus introduced by Wrightbus, the Eclipse SchoolRun was produced in 2006, fitted with a wheelchair lift to allow wheelchair-bound passengers onto the bus, but no further wheelchair compliant step-entrance bus designs were produced.

Due to the Terms Of The Disability Discrimination Act requiring all buses in public service to be wheelchair accessible, non-compliant step-entrance single deckers and their low floor counterparts were outlawed after 31 December 2015, with non-compliant step-entrance double deckers and their low floor counterparts following suit after 31 December 2016, however exemptions apply for the limited use of non-compliant heritage buses on vintage bus services, as well as Transport For London's Heritage Routemasters due to their service being overlaid on the high-frequency low-floor Route 15.

North America

United States

In San Francisco, the Muni Metro light-rail system, which has both on-street and underground stations, uses a combination of high and low platforms, and the vehicles feature retractable stairs to accommodate both platform types. For on-street stations, stairs are deployed within the vehicle to allow boarding from low platforms; as the trains move underground, the stairs rise until they are flush with the floor to allow boarding from high platforms. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light rail</span> Form of passenger urban rail transit

Light rail transit (LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit characterized by a combination of tram and rapid transit features. While its rolling stock is similar to that of a traditional tram, it operates at a higher capacity and speed and often on an exclusive right-of-way. In many cities, light rail transit systems more closely resemble, and are therefore indistinguishable from, traditional underground or at-grade subways and heavy-rail metros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilevel rail car</span> Railroad car with two levels (double decker)

A bilevel car or double-decker coach is a type of rail car that has two levels of passenger accommodation as opposed to one, increasing passenger capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siemens SD-100 and SD-160</span> Type of Siemens-built light rail vehicle

The SD-100 and SD-160 are light rail vehicles (LRV) that were manufactured by Siemens Mobility between 1992 and 2013 for the North American market. The vehicles were all constructed at the Siemens facility in Florin, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBTA accessibility</span> Provision for disabled passengers on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority system

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) system is mostly but not fully accessible. Like most American mass transit systems, much of the MBTA subway and commuter rail were built before wheelchair access became a requirement under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The MBTA has renovated most stations to be compliant with the ADA, and all stations built since 1990 are accessible. The MBTA also has a paratransit program, The Ride, which provides accessible vehicles to transport passengers who cannot use the fixed-route system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-floor tram</span>

A low-floor tram is a tram that has no stairsteps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. The low-floor design improves the accessibility of the tram for the public, and also may provide larger windows and more airspace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-floor bus</span> Bus with no steps between the ground and the interior

A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between the ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as a low-entry bus or seldom a flat-floor bus in some locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Bucharest</span>

Bucharest has the largest transport network in Romania, and one of the largest in Europe. The Bucharest transport network is made up of a subway network and a ground transport network. Although there are multiple connection points, the two systems operate independently of each other, and are run by different organisations (the subway is run by Metrorex and the ground transport network by Societatea de Transport București. The two companies used separate ticketing systems until 2021, when a new smartcard was introduced alongside the old tickets, which allows travel on both the STB and the Underground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban rail transit</span> Train service intended for city-dwellers

Urban rail transit is a wide term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas. The set of urban rail systems can be roughly subdivided into the following categories, which sometimes overlap because some systems or lines have aspects of multiple types.

Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flexity Classic</span> Light-rail vehicle

The Bombardier Flexity Classic is a model of light-rail tram manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. Although it is marketed as the most traditionally designed member of the Flexity family, it is still a modern bi-directional articulated tram with a low-floor section allowing good accessibility, especially to passengers in wheelchairs. Flexity Classic trams run on 1,435 mmstandard gauge in Australia, 1,000 mmmetre gauge in Essen, 1,450 mm in Dresden, and 1,458 mm in Leipzig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kassel kerb</span> Type of kerb used at bus stops

A Kassel kerb is a design of kerb that features a concave-section that allows for an easier alignment for buses. The kerb was first introduced in the German city of Kassel for the low-floor tram system but has since been adopted for use at traffic stops. Kassel kerbs can be part of a bus stop kerb, designed for low-floor buses that serve an elevated bus stop platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tactile paving</span> Textured ground surface indicators to assist blind people

Tactile paving is a system of textured ground surface indicators found at roadsides, by and on stairs, and on railway station platforms, to assist pedestrians who are vision impaired.

Accessibility for people with disabilities on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) system is incomplete but improving. Most of the Toronto subway system was built before wheelchair access was a requirement under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA). However, all subway stations built since 1996 are equipped with elevators, and elevators have been installed in 44 stations built before 1996. Over 75 percent of Toronto's subway stations are accessible. The original plan was to make all stations accessible by 2025; however, a few stations might not be accessible until 2026.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Line (Pittsburgh)</span> Light rail line in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Red Line is a line on the Pittsburgh Light Rail system that runs between South Hills Village and Downtown Pittsburgh via the Beechview neighborhood. The companion route, the Blue Line, branches off north of Martin Villa – which closed in 2012 – and runs through Overbrook. In March 2007, the closure of the Palm Garden Bridge for refurbishment suspended the Red Line for five months; it resumed service in September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railway platform height</span> Vertical distance between top of the platform and top of the rail

Railway platform height is the built height – above top of rail (ATR) – of passenger platforms at stations. A connected term is train floor height, which refers to the ATR height of the floor of rail vehicles. Worldwide, there are many, frequently incompatible, standards for platform heights and train floor heights. Where raised platforms are in use, train widths must also be compatible, in order to avoid both large gaps between platforms and trains and mechanical interference liable to cause equipment damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheelchair lift</span> Powered device to raise a wheelchair and its occupant over a vertical barrier

A wheelchair lift, also known as a platform lift, or vertical platform lift, is a fully powered device designed to raise a wheelchair and its occupant in order to overcome a step or similar vertical barrier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">König-Heinrich-Platz station</span>

König-Heinrich-Platz is an underground Stadtbahn station in central Duisburg, located under the Königstraße, west of the square after which it is named. It consists of two island platforms located on two levels. The upper one is used by trains from or to southern Duisburg, the lower one by trains from or to the Ruhrort and all trains terminating here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridge plate (mechanism)</span> Mechanical wheelchair ramp

A bridge plate, or bridgeplate, is a mechanical, movable form of wheelchair ramp that is used on some low-floor light rail vehicles (LRVs) to provide for wheelchair access. The bridge plate extends from the vehicle to the platform, which must be raised to close to the level of the floor of the vehicle so that the wheelchair need not travel over an excessively steep ramp. Some low-floor buses also use bridge plates to provide for wheelchair access, but many low-floor buses instead use a ramp that normally serves as part of the floor but can be flipped out through the door onto the curb or street; in this case the ramp is long enough that it can serve as a true wheelchair ramp rather than a bridge without being excessively steep.

Accessible vehicle may refer to:

Trams have been used since the 19th century, and since then, there have been various uses and designs for trams around the world. This article covers the many design types, most notably the articulated, double-decker, drop-centre, low-floor, single ended, double-ended, rubber -tired, and tram-train; and the various uses of trams, both historical and current, most notably cargo trams, a dog car, hearse tram, maintenance trams, a mobile library service, a nursery tram, a restaurant tram, a tourist tram, and as mobile offices.

References

  1. "Caltrain Level Boarding discussion" (PDF). Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  2. Gagarin, Gregory; Highfill, Robert C.; Hunter, Stanton C. Creating the nation's First Standardized Rail Car Specification (PDF) (Report). America Public Transportation Association. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  3. Booz Allen Hamilton (1995). Applicability of Low-Floor Light Rail Vehicles in North America (PDF) (Report). Transportation Research Board. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  4. Melaniphy, Michael; Henke, Cliff (25 August 2008). "High-Floor Buses Worth Another Look". Metro Magazine. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  5. "Access on Muni Metro". San Francisco Municipal Railway. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2018.