The Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

Steps

14.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), steps for the use of passengers at any passenger doorway in the side of a rail vehicle must comply with the following requirements—

(a) the surface of each tread must be covered in slip-resistant material;

(b) along the front edge of each tread there must be a band of single colour, not less than 45 millimetres and not more than 50 millimetres deep, which must contrast with the remainder of the tread;

(c) subject to paragraph (d), the rear of each tread must be closed by a riser fixed from the rear of the tread to the front edge of the tread above or, where there is no tread above, to the front edge of the floor of the vehicle;

(d) the riser described in paragraph (c) may incorporate a gap which must be no larger than necessary to provide the minimum space required to enable any door opening mechanism to operate;

(e) each step must be illuminated by a light placed within or immediately adjacent to the step;

(f) each step must be not more than 200 millimetres high measured vertically from the surface of the tread to an imaginary line extended horizontally from the surface of the next tread or floor of the vehicle;

(g) each step must be not less than 300 millimetres deep measured from the front edge of the tread to its rear; and

(h) the surface of each tread must be not less than 455 millimetres wide.

(2) Paragraphs (f) to (h) do not apply if there is not more than one step outside an external doorway.

(3) Subject to sub-paragraph (4), inside a rail vehicle there must be no step between the passenger doorway in its side and that part of the passenger saloon to one side of that doorway for as far as and including either the vestibule of the next passenger doorway on the same side of that vehicle or the end of that vehicle if there is no other such doorway.

(4) Sub-paragraph (3) does not apply to—

(a) a step situated immediately inside a passenger doorway in the side of a rail vehicle; or

(b) a flight of stairs inside a rail vehicle leading between a lower and upper passenger saloon.

(5) Any step situated immediately inside a passenger doorway in the side of rail vehicle must have its riser between 130 millimetres and 160 millimetres from the external door.