PASSENGER ACCESS CONSIDERATIONS FOR LOW-FLOOR LIGHT RAIL VEHICLES

Low-floor light rail vehicles (LFLRVs) are increasingly being put into service. These vehicles are intended to improve access for mobile and mobility-impaired persons. Station platforms and vehicle components such as the suspension, doors, and accessibility aids must be designed to meet the FTA's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. The relationship among the platform, vehicle doors, and, as required, gap-filling devices such as bridge plates is examined. Also considered is the relationship of the track bed and such vehicle elements as trucks and suspensions to these primary elements. Following a summary of LFLRV access system objectives, applicable FTA regulations are reviewed, the access system and its key elements are examined, alternative paths to achieving the objectives are described and evaluated, and the approaches to passenger access adopted for the first three North American LFLRVs are addressed. An overview, rather than a definitive interpretation, of the ADA regulations and their LFLRV implications is presented. Organizations specifying and procuring vehicles and equipment should carefully review the current revisions of the regulations with regard to their specific needs and circumstances.