Perilous Platforms

[Dextraneous]

Thanks for the input. Regardless of the valid point made, it still strikes me as odd that no effort is made to make the step up/down smaller at new terminuses (there's probably a Latin plural for this word?) and stations.

If they can do it for London tube trains and modern trams, then surely there must be some way of doing it for mainline trains.

If I were to hazard a guess, I'd imagine that nobody really gave it a thought when they were upgrading existing or designing new stations.

 

[joe-90]

I'd imagine they are set for the lowest coaching stock. You can't have a train you have to step down into.

 

[enyam]

step up/down smaller at new terminuses (there's probably a Latin plural for this word?) and stations.

Termini?

 

[Dextraneous]

I'd imagine they are set for the lowest coaching stock. You can't have a train you have to step down into.

True - but I ain't ever seen any coaches that are set that low

 

[EFLImpudence]

It's not though. What about Brunel's broad gauge?

What about it?

The fact that there are different does not alter the standard.

 

[joe-90]

It would mean that some horses had fatter bums.

 

[JBR]

Thanks for the input. Regardless of the valid point made, it still strikes me as odd that no effort is made to make the step up/down smaller at new terminuses (there's probably a Latin plural for this word?) and stations.

If they can do it for London tube trains and modern trams, then surely there must be some way of doing it for mainline trains.

If I were to hazard a guess, I'd imagine that nobody really gave it a thought when they were upgrading existing or designing new stations.

I have the answer: bureaucracy.

"This is how high we'll build our new platforms because that's how high we've always built them."

 

[empip]

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/rvar-significant-steps/significant-steps-research.pdf

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[JBR]

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/rvar-significant-steps/significant-steps-research.pdf

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I'm afraid that I haven't time to read through 112 pages, but quickly glancing through, I noticed paragraph 2.2.1.2 relates to height of carriage floor above platform.

I could live with a 2" horizontal gap between the platform edge and the carriage step, but that is stated as the minimum permissible. The maxima are 10" vertically and 11" horizontally. Never mind a bit of a step, but plenty of room for children to fall through!