FTA Oversight Procedures - Federal Transit Administration - U.S. ...
FTA Oversight Procedures - Federal Transit Administration - U.S. ...
FTA Oversight Procedures - Federal Transit Administration - U.S. ...
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U.S. DOT <strong>Federal</strong> <strong>Transit</strong> <strong>Administration</strong><br />
TPM-20 Office of Engineering<br />
Project Management <strong>Oversight</strong><br />
<strong>Oversight</strong> Procedure 41 – ADA Review – Level Boarding for Commuter Rail<br />
______________________________________________________________________________<br />
1.0 PURPOSE<br />
The purpose of this <strong>Oversight</strong> Procedure is to describe the review, analysis and recommendation<br />
procedures and reporting requirements expected by <strong>Federal</strong> <strong>Transit</strong> <strong>Administration</strong> (<strong>FTA</strong>) from the<br />
Project Management <strong>Oversight</strong> Contractor (PMOC) regarding compliance by commuter rail projects<br />
with the level boarding provisions of the regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation<br />
implementing the transportation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (49<br />
CFR Parts 27, 37 & 38).<br />
2.0 BACKGROUND<br />
The intent of level boarding is to provide equal and non-segregated access to passengers with<br />
disabilities using public transit systems. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) addresses the<br />
topic of level boarding through its regulations that have been adopted, which specifically detail the<br />
standards for accessible transportation facilities, as mandated by the ADA.<br />
The term “level boarding” refers to station platforms that are coordinated with the level of the floor<br />
and the entry doors of railcars used on the system. It does not connote a specific measurement above<br />
top of rail (ATR). However, typical passenger car floor heights usually range from 17.5-inches ATR<br />
to 52-inches ATR. Platforms should be constructed 3 inches below the new level of the rail car floor<br />
height to account for the load, normal wear, and tolerances.<br />
Additionally, it must be recognized that level boarding does not necessarily require that the platform<br />
gap standards contained in the ADA accessibility standards be met. Given the dynamic clearance<br />
requirements of standard freight and passenger railcars, and accounting for wheel-truing, suspension<br />
settling and track wear and settling, level boarding will most likely involve gaps that exceed the ADA<br />
standard, but can be crossed easily by ambulatory passengers without hazard, and can be easily<br />
spanned by short bridge plates when necessary.<br />
Where a commuter rail system operates over tracks used by another passenger railroad (i.e., intercity,<br />
Amtrak, or another commuter rail system), the design of the station platforms should be coordinated<br />
among the various users of the line if station platforms are to be shared. Where floor heights differ, the<br />
platform should be coordinated with rolling stock having the lowest floor and entry height to avoid<br />
stepping down from the platform to board. This may require alternative boarding methods for other<br />
rolling stock at that particular station platform. Project Sponsors must also determine whether the<br />
corridor and trackage to be used has been designated as a <strong>Federal</strong>ly-designated high-speed rail<br />
corridor, which is subject to additional requirements for platform configuration.<br />
If a commuter rail system operates over tracks used, controlled, and/or owned by a freight railroad, the<br />
presence of freight traffic alone does not constitute infeasibility of level boarding. Project Sponsors<br />
must review actual dynamic clearance requirements for the type of equipment and cargo carried over<br />
OP 41 ADA Review – Level Boarding for Commuter Rail<br />
Revision 0, June 2008<br />
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