1. This Order may be cited as the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Serco Metrolink T68A Vehicles) Exemption Order 1999 and shall come in to force on 19th November 1999.

2. Any reference in this Order to a numbered regulation is a reference to a regulation bearing that number in the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998(2).

3. This Order applies to the rail vehicles numbered 2001 to 2006 of the class known as "T68A Bi-directional Light Rail Vehicles" (`the exempted vehicles') as manufactured by Ansaldo Trasporti S.p.A. for use on the Manchester Metrolink system.

4.-(1) Subject to articles 5 and 6 below, the exempted vehicles are hereby authorised to be used for carriage even though they do not conform with those provisions of the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 referred to in paragraph (2) below.

(2) The provisions with which the exempted vehicles are not required to conform are regulations-

• 4(3)(b); and

• 11(3)(d).

5.-(1) The exemption given in respect of regulation 4(3)(b) shall cease at the end of 31st December 2000.

(2) The exemption given in respect of regulation 11(3)(d) shall cease at the end of 30th November 2014.

6. The authorisation shall cease forthwith in respect of an exempted vehicle which is operated by a person other than Serco Metrolink Limited unless the Secretary of State has been given written notice in advance specifying the name and address of that other person.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the order)

This Order authorises the use of specified rail vehicles forming T68A Bi-directional Light Rail Vehicles, although they do not conform with certain requirements of the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 because:

• audible warnings are emitted whenever passenger doors in the vehicle sides are closed; and the gap between seat handholds and the seat itself is less than required by those Regulations.

It sets time limits and imposes a condition on the authorisation.