Train door height

[OneOffDave]

I'm new here and couldn't find the answer to this using the search facility so please forgive me if it's already available elsewhere.

As a disabled commuter I'm interested in the logistics of train evacuation and I'm currently in the process of writing to the TOCs that I use to ask for some clarification about their processes. As part of this I'm doing some research to make sure my letter to them is sensible.

One thing I can't find out is how high off the ground a train door is when not in a station and I'm hoping someone on here will have the appropriate technical knowledge. I travel on Pendolinos, Voyagers and class 350/1 and 350/2.

Thanks in advance

 

[edwin_m]

Most multiple units are at about 1.1m above top of rail. Pendolinos and Voyagers are higher because of the need to tilt, but I'm sorry I don't have a figure.

 

[AM9]

Most multiple units are at about 1.1m above top of rail. Pendolinos and Voyagers are higher because of the need to tilt, but I'm sorry I don't have a figure.

Bear in mind that rail height is about 150-200mm above ballast level, and on open track, the ballast drops down another 200mm or more once you get further away from the rail than the shoulder. This steep slope down to the cess starts just where anybody climbing out of the doors would land.

 

[Bigfoot]

Bear in mind that rail height is about 150-200mm above ballast level, and on open track, the ballast drops down another 200mm or more once you get further away from the rail than the shoulder. This steep slope down to the cess starts just where anybody climbing out of the doors would land.

Of course we all know the safest place is still on the train in most situations. Even a railwayman wouldn't want to be leaving a train unless it was the last and only option.

 

[OneOffDave]

Of course we all know the safest place is still on the train in most situations. Even a railwayman wouldn't want to be leaving a train unless it was the last and only option.

I'm also an Emergency Planner so know how staying on the train is the best thing in most circumstances but there have been a couple of incidents over the last few years where passengers have been detrained and there's not been another train to do it to directly.

 

[tsr]

If there is a safe location to hold passengers who cannot evacuate by ladder or cab steps, this is also a preferred option versus assisting passengers between the train and track level. So if there is only a limited area of the train which is safe and where passengers can be supervised, this may be used by those who cannot easily disembark until specialist Network Rail, TOC or Fire & Rescue resources arrive.

Per the number of passenger journeys made each year, detraining to track level is pretty rare and, as above, very much the last resort. It is not just the height of the train above the track which is an issue, but also the very difficult walking conditions on the line, hidden dips or embankments, debris, cables and (primarily in the South of England and on metro-type systems) the electrified third rail. In a controlled evacuation, the latter is still a serious risk but can be dealt with; the rest of the issues will inevitably remain to some degree.

In the event of a major incident of some sort on board a train, it is often the case that a small area will still remain inhabitable to anyone who cannot leave immediately. I can think of comparatively few incidents in recent years where it would have been completely unsafe to remain onboard any part of the train. The sequence is very much:

Remain where you are
but if that is unsafe
Move to another area
but if that is unsafe
Get out

The definition of a controlled evacuation is sometimes colloquially given as "the removal of passengers from a train when that is the only option to practically complete their journey". An emergency evacuation takes place when it is immediately unsafe, rather than impractical, to remain onboard. With modern safety standards, coaches which can be locked out quickly if they are unsafe, etc., many trains - especially longer ones - will provide something of a safe environment for quite a long time.

In specific reply, to the OP, then, what I would say is that train door height above the track ballast is largely as above. But that is not the be all and end all of the evacuation issues, and compared to the overall evacuation route, maybe not actually the biggest issue.

 

[OneOffDave]

In specific reply, to the OP, then, what I would say is that train door height above the track ballast is largely as above. But that is not the be all and end all of the evacuation issues, and compared to the overall evacuation route, maybe not actually the biggest issue.

Cheers tsr (and everyone else) for all their help. As you say, the train height is just one aspect of any evacuation planning. It was just the bit I knew least about.

While I appreciate that the probability me being on a train that will experience an evacuation is very low, the planning for evacuation is an occupational interest.