4 ms·

I don't understand ome detail of this story: Amtrak platforms are about 110cm high. That's more than waist high for most people. So how do you let people get on

by gmueckl 10mo ago

I don't understand ome detail of this story: Amtrak platforms are about 110cm high. That's more than waist high for most people. So how do you let people get on and off at a grade intersection instead of at a platform?

tharkun__ 10mo ago
And now you tell me how those doors function at 110cm height instead of ground level ;) https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Autumn-1-scaled.jpg https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Autumn-1...
- jdeibele 10mo ago
  I've ridden on Amtrak trains. The door for the passenger compartments is in the middle of the observation cars, the oval on the lower level is the window on the door. You can see 3 of them on the 3 cars. The crew would put out a step at stops which was helpful considering the age of most of the passengers. Up top are seats and maybe a lounge, below are bedrooms, bathrooms, and storage. There's a spiral staircase to change levels. The locomotive has steps right outside the wheels with handrails.
  - tharkun__ 10mo ago
    I'm not sure I follow what you're trying to say. It's pretty obvious where the doors are (middle), which have windows. My point, replying to my parent, was that they said Amtrak platforms are at 110cm height. The lowest part of those doors are not at 110cm height, but much lower, almost as if the platform was much much lower than my parent claimed ;) And yes, trains do exist, which either have doors at two different heights (these don't seem to) or that either automatically fold away so you can get out at ground level via the stairs that are revealed/created by the mechanism or that simply stay up for platform height entry/exit. Used both types. Now, whether or not Amtrak has those in specific parts of the US I can't say.
SoftTalker 10mo ago
The trains carry a step that can be placed on the ground outside the door, so you can step down from the car.
db48x 10mo ago
Lol, most Amtrak platforms are at track level! I think the cars are 8” above track level, not waist high. Every car has a metal step that will be placed in front of the door by the attendant. Edit: Oh, except for a few lines on the East Coast where the trains are only single–level. Those are 48” above the top of track.
- gmueckl 10mo ago
  Looks like we both had incomplete information. I didn't know that some trains have their doors really close to the ground and it's actually very inconsistent. I'm getting a clearer picture now.
  - db48x 10mo ago
    It is at least consistent within any one Amtrak route. The ones that go through the north east have to go through tunnels that can only accommodate single–level cars, while all the other routes have the double–level cars where the doors are really close to the ground.
TRiG_Ireland 10mo ago
See "An Excessive Explanation of North American Platform Heights": https://youtu.be/duASHyreTRg https://youtu.be/duASHyreTRg

by gmueckl 10mo ago

tharkun__ 10mo ago

And now you tell me how those doors function at 110cm height instead of ground level ;) https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Autumn-1-scaled.jpg https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Autumn-1...

jdeibele 10mo ago
I've ridden on Amtrak trains. The door for the passenger compartments is in the middle of the observation cars, the oval on the lower level is the window on the door. You can see 3 of them on the 3 cars. The crew would put out a step at stops which was helpful considering the age of most of the passengers. Up top are seats and maybe a lounge, below are bedrooms, bathrooms, and storage. There's a spiral staircase to change levels. The locomotive has steps right outside the wheels with handrails.
- tharkun__ 10mo ago
  I'm not sure I follow what you're trying to say. It's pretty obvious where the doors are (middle), which have windows. My point, replying to my parent, was that they said Amtrak platforms are at 110cm height. The lowest part of those doors are not at 110cm height, but much lower, almost as if the platform was much much lower than my parent claimed ;) And yes, trains do exist, which either have doors at two different heights (these don't seem to) or that either automatically fold away so you can get out at ground level via the stairs that are revealed/created by the mechanism or that simply stay up for platform height entry/exit. Used both types. Now, whether or not Amtrak has those in specific parts of the US I can't say.

SoftTalker 10mo ago

The trains carry a step that can be placed on the ground outside the door, so you can step down from the car.

db48x 10mo ago

Lol, most Amtrak platforms are at track level! I think the cars are 8” above track level, not waist high. Every car has a metal step that will be placed in front of the door by the attendant. Edit: Oh, except for a few lines on the East Coast where the trains are only single–level. Those are 48” above the top of track.

gmueckl 10mo ago
Looks like we both had incomplete information. I didn't know that some trains have their doors really close to the ground and it's actually very inconsistent. I'm getting a clearer picture now.
- db48x 10mo ago
  It is at least consistent within any one Amtrak route. The ones that go through the north east have to go through tunnels that can only accommodate single–level cars, while all the other routes have the double–level cars where the doors are really close to the ground.

TRiG_Ireland 10mo ago

See "An Excessive Explanation of North American Platform Heights": https://youtu.be/duASHyreTRg https://youtu.be/duASHyreTRg