Standards Development

Scope

This document specifies requirements for the design, construction and operation of vertical barrier systems using doors/gates that utilize bars and ropes moving in the vertical direction positioned at the edge of a station platform immediately adjacent to the rail or other guided vehicles in stations and boarding points for passenger services to mitigate the risk of passengers falling from platform due to inattention. This vertical barrier system does not provide a continuous barrier that prevents body parts such as arms, legs or heads from passing through the vertical barrier system.

This document includes

— requirements for the fixed structure and fixed parts along the platform;

— physical requirements for the movable doors and gates normally used by passengers;

— requirements for emergency doors;

— requirements for driver access doors;

— requirements for platform extremity doors; and

— requirements for the management of safety risks that are particular to barrier systems.

This document also gives requirements for the integration of barriers within the overall rail system, including:

— synchronization of vehicle and vertical barrier doors/gates;

 — audible and visible alerts;

— integrity of control systems;

— testing of the barrier installation;

— operational performance; and

— requirements relating to other interfacing sub-systems, notably signalling and vehicles.

This document does not cover barrier systems set back from the platform edge, which are used to control access to trains or for crowd management, however, relevant sections of the document could be used as guidance.

This document applies to rail services, e.g. metro, tram systems and heavy rail services as requested by a project specification. It applies to small systems, working in conjunction with a single vehicle, or with larger systems working with a complete train.

This document applies to vertical barrier systems used at sub-surface stations, enclosed surface stations (e.g. those enclosed for the purposes of providing an air-conditioned environment for waiting passengers), and those fully in the open-air.

This document applies to all persons involved in the implementation and system integration of a vertical barrier system, including infrastructure owners, designers, installers and operators.

This document does not cover normative requirements:

- relating to fire performance or fire requirements arising from use of vertical barrier systems as fire barriers; or

- for platforms, or other foundations and structures to which the barrier system is secured

Purpose

The vertical barrier systems specified in this document apply bars and ropes and moves in the vertical direction. This type of barrier systems enables to mitigate the risk of unintended falling from platform for all people while they allows the doors/gates to be widened. This this type of vertical barrier system provides greater flexibility of dealing with multiple rolling stock types .

The vertical barrier systems using doors/gates that utilize that utilize bars and ropes moving in the vertical direction permit some part of human body such as hands to pass through. On the other hand, ISO 18298 covers barrier systems using doors/gates on conventional panel construction from platform level to the top of the door or gate and does not describe the requirements for safety in case of permitting some part of human body to pass through the fixed and movable parts. ISO 18298 also does not cover the barrier system moving in the vertical direction. Therefore, the development of international standard which describes the requirements for vertical barrier systems using doors/gates that utilize bars and ropes moving in the vertical direction enables to apply them under international rule and it matches the philosophy of international standardisation.

From these points of view, we propose to develop the new international standard.