The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) Exemption Order 2001

Statutory Instruments

2001 No. 785

DISABLED PERSONS TRANSPORT

The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) Exemption Order 2001

Made

7th March 2001

Laid before Parliament

8th March 2001

Coming into force

30th March 2001

The Secretary of State in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 47 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995(1) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, having consulted the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and such other persons as he considered appropriate in accordance with section 47(3) of the said Act, hereby makes the following Order:—

1.  This Order may be cited as the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) Exemption Order 2001 and shall come into force on 30th March 2001.

2.  Any reference in this Order to a numbered regulation is a reference to a regulation bearing that number in the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998(2).

3.  This Order applies to the rail vehicles numbered 1 to 16 of the class known as “Light Rail Vehicle Type T69” (“the exempted vehicles)” as manufactured by Ansaldo Trasporti S.p.A. for use on Line 1 of the Midland Metro System.

4.—(1) Subject to articles 5, 6 and 7 below, the exempted vehicles are hereby authorised to be used for carriage even though they do not conform with those provisions of the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 referred to in paragraph (2) below.

(2) The provisions with which the exempted vehicle are not required to conform are—

(a) regulation 11(1)(a) and (b);

(b) regulation 13(4), but only in so far as it requires audible and visual announcements of the next stop to be made inside the passenger saloon while the vehicle is stationary at a station or a tram stop; and

(c) regulation 13(7).

5.—(1) If any alteration is made to an external doorway of an exempted vehicle or to the door-operating mechanism of such a doorway then the authorisation to use that vehicle even though that doorway does not have handrails which conform with regulation 11(1)(a) shall cease to have effect in relation to that vehicle.

(2) If any alteration is made to the layout of the seats or handrails inside an exempted vehicle then the authorisation to use that vehicle even though such handrails do not conform with regulation 11(1)(b) shall cease to have effect in relation to that vehicle.

6.—(1) The exemption given in respect of regulation 11(1)(a) and (b) shall cease at the end of 31st December 2038.

(2) The exemption given in respect of regulation 13(4) shall cease at the end of 30th April 2001.

(3) The exemption given in respect of regulation 13(7) shall cease at the end of 30th June 2001.

7.  The authorisation shall cease forthwith in respect of an exempted vehicle:

(a) which is operated by a person other than West Midlands Travel Limited unless the Secretary of State has been given written notice in advance specifying the name and address of that other person; or

(b) which is operated on a route other than that authorised to be constructed by the Midland Metro Act 1989(3) unless the Secretary of State has been given written notice in advance of that other route with a plan showing that route.

8.  The Orders specified in the Schedule to this Order are hereby revoked.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Keith Hill

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

7th March 2001

Regulation 8

SCHEDULE Revocations

Orders	References
The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) Exemption Order 1999	S.I. 1999/520
The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) Exemption (Amendment) Order 1999	S.I. 1999/586
The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) (Exemption No. 2) Order 1999	S.I. 1999/1256

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order authorises the use of T69 vehicles numbers 1 to 16 on Line 1 of the Midland Metro System although they do not conform with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 because:

• some handrails are not fitted at the required height;

• some handrails are too far apart from one another;

• not all the required audible and visual announcements are given; and

• some characters used on visual displays are not the required size.

It sets time limits on the authorisation and imposes conditions.

This Order consolidates and replaces, to the extent that they are not spent, the provisions of:

(1) The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) Exemption Order 1999.

(2) The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) Exemption (Amendment) Order 1999; and

(3) The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Midland Metro T69 Vehicles) (Exemption No. 2) Order 1999.

The only change of substance is the termination date for one of the exemptions from 31st March 2001 to 30th June 2001.

(1)

1995 c. 50.

(2)

S.I. 1998/2456, as amended by S.I. 2000/3215.

(3)

1989 c. xv.