Trains with retractable stairs and platformless stations

GeoffreyHansen · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:36 am

I remember some time back seeing a photo of the new Prospector or Avonlink cars in Western Australia having fold-down or retractable stairs (similar to the stairs that fold down from planes like the Dash 8 and possibly the SAAB 340) that fold down to ground level for stations that do not have proper platforms. Are these the only currently operating Australian trains that have a feature like this?

Could such a feature be of use on diesel railcars in NSW and possibly Victoria? Instead of building tiny platforms in low-populated regional towns such as Wirragula maybe a bus stop type sign could be placed beside the tracks and stairs unfolded for passengers to board from the ground. Obviously a solution would have to be found for disabled passengers but maybe some sort of lift could be devised similar to what is seen on some mini-buses.

I'm not saying remove small platforms such as those at Wirragula but instead of building more platforms like it maybe just attach retractable stairs to trains which could hopefully save money.

Has anything like this existed in the past in states other than Western Australia?

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David Peters · Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:18 pm

SAR centenary cars and most SAR stock have had this ability for decades, the Brill railcars and Bluebirds also had this ability as do most cars on the IP and GHAN. Comrail also had most of their pass cars with this ability!

America has nearly always had this as most of their platforms are little more than ground level.

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TheLoadedDog · Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:56 pm

I would say this isn't ever going to be a serious go-er. It might work on some existing GSR cars, but not on anything new. The decades-old disability laws alone would have put a big negatory on it, but the new "mobility" laws that are being brought in now are even tougher. That's one count agin' it.

Secondly, I'd wager it'd be cheaper to whack up a concrete slab on some old rails where necessary rather than design expensive systems into new railcars.

Thirdly, those tiny places are gradually disappearing from the network rather than appearing. And those that exist already tend to have platforms.

Fourthly, the new Hunter cars et al are just that - NEW. We're stuck with them for a long, long time.

So I'd have money on this not happening. The US has them because they always have had them, but they would never be made now. Heck, under modern OH&S laws, limited mobility requirements, and insurance concerns, railways themselves would not be built if invented now.

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pm1225 · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:22 pm

The WA cars that have this capacity it is not used now as high level platforms are being/or have been put in place at former low level platforms. As TheLoadedDog™ stated is required for mobility and disabled access.

tonyp · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:00 am

Not an issue. In Europe trains are designed, if necessary, to be fully accessible at both levels. Usually there is some mechanism in the door step to enable this. Here its unnecessarily complex though - we should stick to high level platforms for trains.