VIA Rail

[ijmorlan]

Also, I’m guessing you didn’t realize that the doors on the VIA coaches (both LRC and HEP) can work for both high platforms and low platforms. HEP (and many other older passenger coaches) have built-in steps, with a plate covering them. If it’s a low platform, they lift that platform up and it swings out of the way, exposing the steps. If it’s a high platform, they leave the plate down.

The LRC’s have a similar setup, where the platform and steps are an integrated assembly which rotates down; it’s quite elegant.

https://youtu.be/dUz2V5DxuJU

(2:00 mark)

It’s not rocket science and the solution is already in place.

Yes, I’m familiar with the way the Via stairs work. However, the real goal is level boarding for all trains, which the Via stairs don’t help with. Really Via trains are high-platform vehicles, with a workaround for obsolete stations that don’t have proper modern platforms. Except that since we have lots of GO trains it’s not that simple, because they need somewhat lower platforms.

Although it is true that loading Via from a GO-accessibility height platform would be much easier than loading from a regular low platform.