49 CFR Parts 37 & 38 - Department of Transportation (DOT) ADA Regulations

§ 38.71 General.

(a) New, used and remanufactured light rail vehicles, to be considered accessible by regulations in part 37 of this title shall comply with this subpart.

(b)

(1) Vehicles intended to be operated solely in light rail systems confined entirely to a dedicated right-of-way, and for which all stations or stops are designed and constructed for revenue service after the effective date of standards for design and construction in §§37.21 and 37.23 of this title shall provide level boarding and shall comply with §§38.73(d)(1) and 38.85 of this part.

(2) Vehicles designed for, and operated on, pedestrian malls, city streets, or other areas where level boarding is not practicable shall provide wayside or car-borne lifts, mini-high platforms, or other means of access in compliance with §38.83(b) or (c) of this part.

(c) If portions of the vehicle are modified in a way that affects or could affect accessibility, each such portion shall comply, to the extent practicable, with the applicable provisions of this subpart. This provision does not require that inaccessible vehicles be retrofitted with lifts, ramps or other boarding devices.

(d) Existing vehicles retrofitted to comply with the “one-car-per-train rule” at §37.93 of this title shall comply with §38.75, §38.77(c), §38.79(a) and §38.83(a) of this part and shall have, in new and key stations, at least one door which complies with §§38.73 (a)(1), (b) and (d) of this part. Vehicles previously designed and manufactured in accordance with the accessibility requirements of part 609 of this title or the Secretary of Transportation regulations implementing section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that were in effect before October 7, 1991, and which can be entered and used from stations in which they are to be operated, may be used to satisfy the requirements of §37.93 of this title.