§38.95. Mobility aid accessibility. — Inbound Citations

(2) Where level boarding is structurally or operationally impracticable, commuter rail cars shall comply § 38.95 of this part.

(d) Existing vehicles retrofitted to comply with the “one-car-per-train rule” at § 37.93 of this title shall comply with §§ 38.93(e), 38.95(a) and 38.107 of this part and shall have, in new and key stations at least one door on each side from which passengers board which complies with § 38.93(d) of this part. Vehicles previously designed and manufactured in accordance with the program accessibility requirements of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or implementing regulations of the Secretary of Transportation that were in effect before October 7, 1991; and which can be entered and used from stations in which they are to be operated, may be used to satisfy the requirements of § 37.93 of this title.

(3) Where platform set-backs do not allow the horizontal gap or vertical alignment specified in paragraph (d)(1) or (d)(2) of this section, car, platform or portable lifts complying with § 38.95(b) of this part, or car or platform ramps or bridge plates, complying with § 38.95(c) of this part, shall be provided,ensuring compliance with section 37.42, where applicable.

(a) The vehicle lift specifications identified in §§ 38.23(b)(6), 38.83(b)(6), 38.95(b)(6), and 38.125(b)(6) of this title apply to solicitations for vehicles under this part after January 25, 1992.

(f) For purposes of this part, level-entry boarding means a boarding platform design in which the horizontal gap between a car at rest and the platform is no more than 10 inches on tangent track and 13 inches on curves and the vertical height of the car floor is no more than 5.5 inches above the boarding platform. Where the horizontal gap is more than 3 inches and/or the vertical gap is more than 5/8 inch, measured when the vehicle is at rest, the horizontal and vertical gaps between the car floor and the boarding platform must be mitigated by a bridge plate, ramp, or other appropriate device consistent with 49 CFR 38.95(c) and 38.125(c).

(3) Where platform set-backs do not allow the horizontal gap or vertical alignment specified in paragraph (d)(1) or (d)(2) of this section, car, platform or portable lifts complying with § 38.95(b) of this part, or car or platform ramps or bridge plates, complying with § 38.95(c) of this part, shall be provided,ensuring compliance with section 37.42, where applicable.

(b) A route at least 32 inches wide shall be provided from doors required to be accessible by paragraph (a)(1) of this section to seating locations complying with § 38.95(d) of this part. In cars where such doorways require passage through a vestibule, such vestibule shall have a minimum width of 42 inches. (See Fig. 3.)

(a) Where provided, handrails or stanchions within the passenger compartment shall be placed to permit sufficient turning and maneuvering space for wheelchairs and other mobility aids to reach a seating location, complying with § 38.95(d) of this part, from an accessible entrance. The diameter or width of the gripping surface of interior handrails and stanchions shall be 1 1/4 inches to 1 1/2 inches or shall provide an equivalent gripping surface. Handrails shall be placed to provide a minimum 1 1/2 inches knuckle clearance from the nearest adjacent surface.