Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61D—BODY DETAILS OR KINDS OF RAILWAY VEHICLES
  • B61D1/00—Carriages for ordinary railway passenger traffic
  • B61D1/06—Carriages for ordinary railway passenger traffic with multiple deck arrangement

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a passenger vehicle having a stairway for passengers, in particular a vehicle having a plurality of decks or floors, especially a double-decker vehicle such as a train.
• One design of rail carriage has an entry leading into an entry area.
• the entry is arranged 760 mm above the track. This is a so-called low-level entry design. While attempts to provide access from the low-level entry area to respective upper and lower decks, these have not been without their problems.
• DE 4423 243 C2 discloses an arrangement and design of flights of stairs in double-decker rail vehicles, in which an off-set stand is provided.
• the stand is elliptical in shape and half its height is provided between the upper deck flight of stairs and lower deck flight of stairs.
• the off-set stand follows the shape of the internal contour of the slightly twisted upper-deck and lower-deck flights of stairs.
• the flight of stairs leading to the upper deck which starts with an off-centre displacement in the direction of the lower-deck flight of stairs has, over its full width, a stepped angle of the upper step of less than or equal to 20 degrees with respect to the transverse axis of the car.
• a disadvantage with this arrangement of the flight of stairs is that the flow of passengers into the single-decker entry region and into the upper deck can pass only via the two-lane flights of stairs so that the flow of passengers is subject to congestion at the lower-deck flight of stairs. This is particularly the case when passengers are leaving the upper deck and the single-decker region.
• the speedy movement of passengers into and out of this double-decker railcar is therefore possible only to a limited degree, having an adverse affect on the stop times at stations and on the travel times in general.
• a vehicle comprising a plurality of floors for accommodating passengers, comprising an entry space accessible from the exterior of the vehicle, a main flight of stairs connecting the entry space with one deck, a secondary flight of stairs connecting the entry space with a second deck, a first part of a main flight of stairs having a terrace comprising at least one step, the step or a first step of the terrace being arranged on the floor of the entry space in the region of an imaginary central entry line, the secondary flight of stairs being arranged to one side of the main flight of stairs.
• the advantage of the arrangement of the present invention is that the double- decker region which can be usefully and economically exploited is made larger and the entry can be adjusted to various station platform heights by means of simple modifications.
• the main flight of stairs is preferably wide enough to accommodate two streams of passengers, passing side by side. This is a so-called "two-lane" staircase.
• the secondary flight of stairs may be configured to accommodate just a single stream of passengers, or more.
• the arrangement has two secondary flights of stairs, one extending each side of the main flight of stairs.
• the main flight of stairs preferably connects the entry space with an upper floor or deck of the vehicle.
• the secondary flight of stairs preferably connects the entry space with a lower floor or deck.
• the entry space is preferably substantially level across its entire width.
• Countersunk steps may be set into the floor in the region of the entry from the exterior.
• the terrace may have any suitable shape or form. Preferably, it is arcuate. Such a form allows for easier access for passengers moving across the floor of the entry space from the entry to the foot of the main flight of stairs.
• the stair arrangement of the present invention may be employed in any passenger vehicle requiring access to one or more floors or decks.
• the arrangement is most suitable for a rail vehicle, such as a train carriage, in particular a low-level entry carriage having an entry at about 760 mm above the rails.
• Fig. 1 shows a side view of a portion of a double-decker rail vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view along the line A-A of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view along the line B-B of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional plan view of the entry space of the vehicle of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 5 shows a side view of a portion of a double-decker vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional plan view of the entry space of the vehicle of Fig. 5;
• Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional plan view of the entry space of a vehicle according to further embodiment of the present invention.
• Figs 1 to 4 the interior of a double-decker vehicle is shown, having a two-lane main staircase 1 leading from the entry space 2 into an upper deck 3.
• the floor of the entry space 2 is level over its entire width.
• the stepped approach to the main flight of stairs 1 is displaced into the entry space 2 in such a way that a terrace having a first step 6 is arranged in the region of a central imaginary entry line 7 of the entry space 2.
• the entry line 7 virtually halves the depth of the entry space 2 and leads approximately from the centre of one entry to the centre of the opposite entry.
• the first part of the flight of stairs, the first step 6, a second step 8, and a third step 9 are embodied so as to be virtually circular and in the form of terraces.
• the following steps of the main staircase are straight.
• the secondary flights of stairs 4 to the right and left of the main flight of stairs 1 are preferably arranged at an angle to the transverse axis of the car and thus direct the flow of passengers in a targeted fashion to the entry doors and to the central aisle of the lower deck 5.
• the secondary flights of stairs 4 have arcuate steps and can have, viewed from the lower deck 5, a circular access 13 to the flight of stairs, which is uninterrupted by the main flight of stairs 1. The passengers can thus move from the entry directly into all the regions of the vehicle (upper deck, lower deck, single-decker region) of the double-decker car.
• the arrangement of the flights of stairs also permits the end regions of the cars to be generously equipped with seats.
• the technical equipment can be arranged in the roof space 10, as shown in Fig. 1. This arrangement of technical equipment is not illustrated in more detail in the associated drawings, but a person skilled in the art is completely familiar with its implementation.
• the transparent configuration of the interior space of the double-decker car is significantly improved by means of the generous ceiling height of approximately 2700 mm in the entry space 2 which is now possible, at the same time permitting a uniform overview of the adjoining passenger spaces, such as the upper deck and lower deck 3 and 5 and of the single-decker region.
• the new solution provides a more flexible integration into the access system through the arcuate and terrace-shaped step segments in the entry space 2.
• the passengers are permitted to access the main flight of stairs 1 from a plurality of sides.
• the level floor of the entry space 2 is provided in the door region with a countersunk step 12 so that 550 mm high station platforms can also be accommodated.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Vehicle Step Arrangements And Article Storage (AREA)
• Steps, Ramps, And Handrails (AREA)
• Vehicle Waterproofing, Decoration, And Sanitation Devices (AREA)
• Harvesting Machines For Specific Crops (AREA)
• Types And Forms Of Lifts (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=7710928

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (5)

• 2001
  • 2001-12-24 DE DE10164045A patent/DE10164045A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2002
  • 2002-12-13 DK DK02791822T patent/DK1458603T3/da active
  • 2002-12-13 AU AU2002358135A patent/AU2002358135A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-12-13 DE DE60231429T patent/DE60231429D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-12-13 AT AT02791822T patent/ATE424336T1/de active
  • 2002-12-13 EP EP02791822A patent/EP1458603B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-12-13 WO PCT/EP2002/014245 patent/WO2003055729A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-12-13 PL PL370922A patent/PL204600B1/pl unknown

Patent Citations (5)

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