Impact of USDOT rule on level boarding

[afigg]

There are 2 recent reports / letters from Amtrak to Congress on the issues of complying with the USDOT September 2011 Final Rule on level platform boarding for ADA compliance which were recently posted on Amtrak's Reports and Documents page. The USDOT ruling has cost implications for adding new stations to LD routes or starting service over a new route or refurbishing an existing station.

The first letter was sent on May 11 to LaHood and key members of Congress and has a concise summary of the platform height and freight clearance plate issues. Worth the read to summarize the clearance issues with regards to 8" ATR (Above the Rails), 15" ATR low level and 48" ATR high level platforms (HLP) and set-back distances for the Class 1 freight companies. There is a lot covered in the letter, but some key points are:

- Amtrak is using 7,500 annual passengers at a station as the cut-off between the stations that will use mobile lifts to board disable passengers and those that will somehow have a level boarding platform.

- Amtrak is looking at Set Back platform concepts which will provide level boarding with bridge plates or other arrangements. See page 7 of the letter.

- The level boarding requirement could lock stations and routes into either using single level cars or Superliners & bi-levels. If several stations on the Cardinal route in VA or WV get HLPs with no space for a low level platform, can't switch back to a Superliner equipment set w/o serious headaches.

The second document is a August report to Congress with updates on the effort to upgrade stations to ADA compliance. Which is no small thing. There are many stations which are not fully compliant including Wilmington, DC Union Station, BWI for example.

Interesting items in the FY13 ASDP Update:

-contracts awarded to upgrade Savannah, Jacksonville FL, Tampa to 48" ATR high level platforms.

-contracts awarded to upgrade Lorton, Sanford to 15" ATR low level boarding platforms

-San Antonio is in the start of design for a 15" ATR low level platform.

-FY13 Special projects include a DC Union station Engineering study on:

- rehabilitating track 21 and rebuild platform to 15" ATR (for the Capitol Limited it appears)

- 48" ATR high level platforms for tracks 15/16, 16/17 (upper level tracks)

- Design to add elevator to platform for tracks 27/28 (run-through tracks to 1st St tunnel)

-National program to be developed for a Passenger Information and Display System (PIDS).

Looks like there will be a major expansion of HLPs south of WAS in the coming years. Which will help reduce station dwell times for the stations with a full length HLP, but at a cost.

 

[cirdan]

Is the 4foot gap with bridgeplates actually already in use anywhere?

I guess the bridgeplates have to be positioned manually before boarding / unboarding can commence.

Also there are H&S aspects of a 4 foot gap people can potentially fall into.

 

[Ryan]

There was just lady in Boston(?) carrying a baby that thought a train stopped on the next track out had platform up to the door and walked right off the edge of the platform. Could see more of that happening with a 4' gap.

 

[cirdan]

There was just lady in Boston(?) carrying a baby that thought a train stopped on the next track out had platform up to the door and walked right off the edge of the platform. Could see more of that happening with a 4' gap.

That sounds nasty.

I hope she and the baby weren't seriously injured.

 

[Notelvis]

High Level Platforms in Savannah and Jacksonville are doable because in both cases Amtrak trains diverge from the through tracks to enter the platform area.

Getting HLP's approved by the host railroad would likely be problematic if freight trains were operating through the station tracks in these two cities.

 

[SubwayNut]

The only issue, in Jacksonville especially is if service to New Orleans is ever restored will it then be unable to use Superliners (or the short distance cars being ordered based on their design?) I have never been down there and am wondering if the station will still have a place where a low-level Superliner can platform.

 

[jphjaxfl]

Superliners used Jacksonville the entire time the Sunset eastward was running.

 

[afigg]

The only issue, in Jacksonville especially is if service to New Orleans is ever restored will it then be unable to use Superliners (or the short distance cars being ordered based on their design?) I have never been down there and am wondering if the station will still have a place where a low-level Superliner can platform.

Looking at the station on Google Earth, depends on where and how they put a full length high level platform. I would think Amtrak would want to leave some capability for Superliners to stop there. But the possible loss of Superliner versus single level car handling flexibility is a critical concern of the impact of the USDOT rule for the stations south and west of WAS that only have room for 1 platform or have to have 2 matching HLP on either side of a 2 track setup. What about a new station in Atlanta? Would it have only a HLP setup?

One consideration in JAX is that if they move the station stop in a few years to where the city is looking to build a new train station/intermodal center tied in with FEC service, the money spent on the HLP will be mostly wasted.

Should check all the stations south of WAS on Google Earth to see how many have pull-over tracks, room for a pull-over track, or are limited to platforms alongside the freight tracks.

 

[MattW]

Atlanta would either use HLPs to match whatever commuter equipment we eventually use (if ever), or have one HLP to match the Crescent, and the rest matching the commuter equipment. The plan for the Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal is for at least five tracks, so they could probably reserve one for the sole use of the Crescent.

 

[Nathanael]

Is the 4foot gap with bridgeplates actually already in use anywhere?

Recent station on the Downeaster, I believe.

It looks completely unsafe. It should be prohibited.

 

[Nathanael]

The only issue, in Jacksonville especially is if service to New Orleans is ever restored will it then be unable to use Superliners (or the short distance cars being ordered based on their design?) I have never been down there and am wondering if the station will still have a place where a low-level Superliner can platform.

Jacksonville originally had multiple platforms. If necessary, it could have multiple platforms again; there is room. It raises the costs of adding a service with bilevels, of course, if you have to add a new platform, but it's possible.

 

[PRR 60]

Is the 4foot gap with bridgeplates actually already in use anywhere?

Recent station on the Downeaster, I believe.

It looks completely unsafe. It should be prohibited.

No 4' gap on the new Downeaster extension. A gauntlet track will be used for the new station.

 

[MattW]

Is the 4foot gap with bridgeplates actually already in use anywhere?

Recent station on the Downeaster, I believe.

It looks completely unsafe. It should be prohibited.

No 4' gap on the new Downeaster extension. A gauntlet track will be used for the new station.

Are you sure Freeport is getting a gauntlet track? In the video of the recent "grand opening(?)" event, I thought that bridge plates were used to cross a 2' gap, which is more than I'd expect if a gauntlet track was being used. It's not 4', but it's still significant, and it didn't look safe to me either.

 

[TCRT]

Is the 4foot gap with bridgeplates actually already in use anywhere?

Recent station on the Downeaster, I believe.

It looks completely unsafe. It should be prohibited.

No 4' gap on the new Downeaster extension. A gauntlet track will be used for the new station.

Most of the other stations on the Downeaster route already employ a bridge plate over a roughly 2' gap. It seems to work alright since the high-level part of the platform is only about 15 feet wide, so the conductor can guard the door next to the platform and lay down the bridgeplate before anyone has the chance to board.

Here's

showing this process in action.

 

[Nathanael]

Still, any system depending on bridgeplates over gaps of more than a foot scares me. This doesn't seem viable for full-length level boarding; gauntlet tracks seem significantly safer.

 

[Nathanael]

Most of the other stations on the Downeaster route already employ a bridge plate over a roughly 2' gap. It seems to work alright since the high-level part of the platform is only about 15 feet wide, so the conductor can guard the door next to the platform and lay down the bridgeplate before anyone has the chance to board.

Here's

OK. Interesting. I guess this works for the low ridership at Dover; but it doesn't *scale*. You couldn't do this safely with a long train and large crowds.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I don't like bridgeplates. Too dangerous. I would rather have no platform, just boarding from the ground is safer.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

Id be scared to board the way I saw in that video. What happens if that bridgeplate slips while someone is boarding?

 

[TCRT]

Id be scared to board the way I saw in that video. What happens if that bridgeplate slips while someone is boarding?

I have boarded like this at Exeter, NH, and it seemed very secure - the metal bridgeplate is very heavy and seems very unlikely to slip on the concrete platform. Furthermore, there is a lot of extra length built into the bridgeplate. I agree that it's a problem for more heavily trafficked stations, but for the stations in question it seems to do a fine job of boarding the 25 or so riders per train through a single door. There's always the full-length low-level platform for really big crowds that need more than one door to board in a timely fashion. I would hope that any really busy station would either get its own station track (like Portland, ME does) or, if there isn't room (like say, in Atlanta), then it would get a gauntlet track (like some of the Portland, OR commuter rail stations have).

 

[jis]

The only issue, in Jacksonville especially is if service to New Orleans is ever restored will it then be unable to use Superliners (or the short distance cars being ordered based on their design?) I have never been down there and am wondering if the station will still have a place where a low-level Superliner can platform.

JAX has space for one high level and one low level platform should the need arise. Though I don't see it arising anytime soon.

 

[afigg]

Id be scared to board the way I saw in that video. What happens if that bridgeplate slips while someone is boarding?

The bridgeplate should be very stable. I would be more concerned about scenarios for 4' wide gap such as someone (not paying much attention) pulling a wheeled suitcase behind them but off to the side as they walk onto the ramp, but the suitcase rolls off of the platform or gets hung up straddling the edge of the bridgeplate and empty space. The passenger could get pulled off-balance and follow their suitcase into the gap. Aieee! After which, they may need to use ADA compliant boarding because of body or leg casts as they recover from their injuries.

At a stop with a small number of passengers, the crew can monitor the boarding passengers to make sure they don't fall in. Not so easy at a busy stop.

Something that should be considered from a human factor safety engineering standpoint for the setback platform concept for wide gaps is ensuring safety of distracted boarding and alighting passengers. How do they insure the safety of people busying yakking on their cellphone, looking at the cellphone screen while texting away, or music blasting away on their ear buds? Sure, they can put up signs saying mind the gap, but that won't stop distracted people from falling in. The setback platform approach needs to be made idiot-proof as possible.

Why, you ask? Because there are no shortage of idiots in this world from my observations. Before you feel too superior, I'm looking at all 7 billion of you people on this planet including myself. We have all done something stupid or unsafe in our day to day lives. :lol:

 

[tubaia]

Why, you ask? Because there are no shortage of idiots in this world from my observations. Before you feel too superior, I'm looking at all 7 billion of you people on this planet including myself. We have all done something stupid or unsafe in our day to day lives. :lol:

As they say: Every time you make something "idiot proof," they build a better idiot.