Equality Act 2010

182 Rail vehicle accessibility regulations

(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations (in this Chapter referred to as “rail vehicle accessibility regulations”) for securing that it is possible for disabled persons—

(a) to get on to and off regulated rail vehicles in safety and without unreasonable difficulty;

(b) to do so while in wheelchairs;

(c) to travel in such vehicles in safety and reasonable comfort;

(d) to do so while in wheelchairs.

(2) The regulations may, in particular, make provision as to the construction, use and maintenance of regulated rail vehicles including provision as to—

(a) the fitting of equipment to vehicles;

(b) equipment to be carried by vehicles;

(c) the design of equipment to be fitted to, or carried by, vehicles;

(d) the use of equipment fitted to, or carried by, vehicles;

(e) the toilet facilities to be provided in vehicles;

(f) the location and floor area of the wheelchair accommodation to be provided in vehicles;

(g) assistance to be given to disabled persons.

(3) The regulations may contain different provision—

(a) as respects different classes or descriptions of rail vehicle;

(b) as respects the same class or description of rail vehicle in different circumstances;

(c) as respects different networks.

(4) In this section—

• “network” means any permanent way or other means of guiding or supporting rail vehicles, or any section of it;

• “rail vehicle” means a vehicle constructed or adapted to carry passengers on a railway, tramway or prescribed system other than a vehicle used in the provision of a service for the carriage of passengers on the high-speed rail system or the conventional TEN rail system;

• “regulated rail vehicle” means a rail vehicle to which provisions of rail vehicle accessibility regulations are expressed to apply.

(5) In subsection (4)—

• “conventional TEN rail system” and “high-speed rail system” have the meaning given in regulation 2(3) of the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/397);

• “prescribed system” means a system using a mode of guided transport (“guided transport” having the same meaning as in the Transport and Works Act 1992) that is specified in rail vehicle accessibility regulations;

• “railway” and “tramway” have the same meaning as in the Transport and Works Act 1992.

(6) The Secretary of State must exercise the power to make rail vehicle accessibility regulations so as to secure that on and after 1 January 2020 every rail vehicle is a regulated rail vehicle.

(7) Subsection (6) does not affect subsection (3), section 183(1) or section 207(4)(a).

(8) Before making regulations under subsection (1) or section 183, the Secretary of State must consult—

(a) the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, and

(b) such other representative organisations as the Secretary of State thinks fit.