From: ahk@chinet.com

Stephen Sprunk  wrote:

>BBD bilevel cars (i.e. nearly all commuter trains outside the Rust Belt)
>have a built-in, full-width step below the door at half the height
>difference; no step boxes are required.  Why Amtrak LD trains don't have
>such (which would remove the need for those step boxes--and a dozen or
>so crew members per train) is mystifying.

This was an innovation from streetcars. The reason folding stepwells are
impractical is what you just wrote: Rust. You could have them in California.

Now, I'd just put up with the maintenance tasks, but you know that
maintenance is anathema to passenger service.

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