Detrainment device

A detrainment device is equipment on a rail vehicle that provides an evacuation route for the passengers. It usually consists of a set of steps or a ramp, located at a doorway, allowing passengers to leave the vehicle in an emergency, vehicle breakdown or accident.

Costumed character Captain SMRT demonstrating the use of a refurbished C151's emergency detrainment ramp on Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit

A detrainment device is moved from a stored location into an operational position, usually above the coupler at the end of a passenger car. A detrainment device may consist of a manually placed, hinged, foldable or telescopic ladder or ramp. A detrainment device may allow evacuation to track level, or to a coupled railcar. A detrainment device may be fitted with handrails.

In other cases, evacuation may be via the vehicle passenger side doors to a trackside walkway in a tunnel, without the use of a detrainment device.

Types

Examples of the main types of detrainment device currently in service include:

Steps, stored loose inside the driver's cab or the passenger saloon

• Historically the most common arrangement

Hinged steps, stored inside the driver's cab or the passenger saloon

• London Underground S Stock^[1][2]

Steps, folding, hinging or sliding out from the doorway

• London Underground 1973 Stock (refurbished)^[3][4]
• London Underground 1996 Stock^[5]
• British Rail Class 378^[6]

Ramp, sliding out from below the doorway

• London Underground 1992 Stock
• Manila Line 2 Stock

Ramp, folding out from the doorway

• MTR Metro Cammell EMU
• MTR Metro Cammell EMU (Disneyland Resort line) stock ^[7]
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151, Siemens C651, Kawasaki Heavy Industries & Nippon Sharyo C751B, Kawasaki Heavy Industries & CSR Sifang C151A
• Delhi Metro RS2 and RS3 ^[8]
• Alstom Metropolis C751A – North East line
• PNR 203 Series EMU, Khia 52 Trains, JR 12/14 Series (Ladder Only)
• Hyundai-Rotem MTR K-Stock EMU^[9][10]
• Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit^[11]
• MTR Corporation -MTR Corporation C-Train EMU

Tensioned Fabric ramp, deploying from the doorway

• MTR Corporation Airport Express A-Stock EMU
• Siemens Modular Metro and Bombardier Changchun Coaches – Bangkok BTS Skytrain
• KTM Train Coaches (even Tiger Trains)
• Bombardier MOVIA C951 - Downtown line^[12]
• Alstom Metropolis C830 and C830C – Circle line
• Alstom Metropolis C751C
• Alstom Metropolis Barcelona Metro line 9^[13]

Performance

User trials on prototype equipment in controlled conditions have indicated that a wide detrainment ramp will allow the evacuation of 2500 passengers in 28 minutes^[9] if the ramp, its handrails and the cab and saloon throughways are correctly specified. Modern detrainment step systems can detrain one person every two seconds.

See also

• Evacuation slide