Our long-standing relationship with the rail industry reflects a sector committed to ensuring safe work at height. Unlike passenger stations, where platforms align with train doors for easy access, rail maintenance depots lack such infrastructure. Accessing traction and rolling stock in these environments inherently involves work at height, presenting specific safety challenges that our platforms are designed to address.
The size and configuration of train systems often require maintenance tasks to be performed at height, presenting inherent operational challenges.
At Planet Platforms, our bespoke train maintenance platforms are designed to address these challenges and are deployed across the UK and internationally.
These custom platforms are primarily constructed from aluminium, valued for its strength, light weight, and versatility. A wide range of profiles and extrusions allows for virtually limitless configurations, as evidenced by the thousands of designs available in our drawing library.
While aluminium is a primary material in our rail maintenance platforms, we also utilise fibreglass in applications where overhead or third-rail electrification is present. Fibreglass, insulated to 100 kV per foot, provides personnel with protection against potential electrocution, while offering design flexibility comparable to aluminium.
Rail depots are often constrained environments, many originally constructed post-war and now accommodating modern 21st-century trains. To address this, we provide specialised mobile rail access solutions—typically mounted on triple wheels, which have become an industry standard. We also offer fixed options, including gantries and continuous walkways, providing safe and efficient access across extended rail sections.
Carriage access steps are mobile portable steps, height matched to specific rolling stock door sill, to gain access to the rail vehicle where no station platform exists. For example, on maintenance roads and shed lines.
They are part of depot access/egress risk controls.
Carriage door barriers are engineered safety systems deployed in maintenance depots to prevent personnel from falling from doorways or train units when:
They are an integral control within depot Safe Systems of Work (SSoW), often installed as part of a hierarchy-of-control approach to fall-from-height risk.
Roof access platforms provide safe elevated access to the roofs of rolling stock for inspection, servicing, and component replacement. Typical tasks include:
They are designed to eliminate the need for ladders in areas where they pose significant fall-from-height or depot-movement risks.
Rail depots handling EMUs or bi-mode units require strict HV protection before personnel access the roof:
Many UK new-build depots include “permit-to-access-roof” systems that require confirmation from control rooms or depot technicians.
Roof access platforms fall under multiple overlapping regulations and industry standards:
Roof platforms commonly integrate with:
Front end access platforms are specialised structures designed to provide safe, elevated access to the front of rolling stock for inspection, maintenance, and replacement activities.
They enable maintenance personnel to work on components located at or near the train nose, including,
Their importance is heightened on modern EMUs and DMUs with streamlined noses, where critical systems are accessed only through hinged or removable front-end panels.
Two principal design types are used in depots
Fixed front-end gantry platforms are permanently installed at the end of a maintenance road and set to suit specific fleets with predictable nose geometry. Mobile front-end platforms, mounted on castors or rails, offer greater flexibility and are commonly used in depots without fixed infrastructure or for lower-frequency tasks.
Typical construction includes
and may incorporate
Safety is a primary driver in platform design due to fall-from-height risks, proximity to moving trains, and trip hazards from hoses and cables. Platforms generally incorporate compliant guardrails, minimal gaps between platform and train, and in some cases adjustable or sliding deck sections.
In modern facilities, platforms are often integrated with Depot Protection Systems, preventing train movement while deployed and providing controlled access and visual warnings. Structural design must accommodate static, dynamic, and handrail loads, with LOLER compliance where lifting equipment is included.
Front-end platforms are governed by general health and safety legislation and rail-specific standards, including
And relevant British and European access standards, such as
Operationally, they must align with strict train positioning controls and accommodate variations in coupler type, nose geometry, and train height across different fleets. Solutions range from bespoke, fleet-specific designs to modular or mobile platforms suited to multi-fleet or smaller depots.
Fixed gantries in UK rail depots are permanent elevated access structures designed to provide safe, controlled working positions for maintenance and inspection activities on rolling stock and depot equipment.
Their primary purpose is to enable engineers to work at height or reach difficult areas—such as
While minimising fall risk.
As a core element of depot design philosophy, fixed gantries represent an engineering control, providing collective protection in preference to reliance on ladders, mobile towers, or procedural measures.
Typical applications include access to:
They also support lifting and hoisting operations and improve visibility and ergonomics during inspections and heavy maintenance.
Several gantry types are commonly deployed.
Typically include:
Designs must respect rolling-stock dynamic envelopes and provide safe access and egress via stair towers and emergency ladders. Where mixed or variable fleets are present, adjustable-height walkways, sliding platforms, finger decks, or modular extensions are increasingly used.
Fixed gantries must comply with UK legislation including:
Designs typically reference standards such as BS EN ISO 14122, Eurocodes for structural steel, and relevant flooring and fall-protection standards.
Operationally, gantries often interface with depot protection systems, including
Ongoing inspection, maintenance, and asset management are essential, with gantries treated as safety-critical PUWER equipment. Typical use cases range from routine servicing and cleaning to major component replacement and fleet upgrade activities.
Typical materials include:
Surface treatments:
Pitboards are not typically designed to support rolling stock or heavy lifting equipment, but must meet minimum load capacities suitable for:
Each depot normally defines:
Board dimensions must:
Some have interlocking edges to eliminate gaps between boards.
Pitboards fall under general and rail-specific legislation relating to workplace safety and fall prevention.
Although no single British Standard mandates pitboard specifications, boards generally align with the principles of:
A train access platform allows safe, ergonomic access to the sides, interior and roofs of train vehicles for maintenance, inspection, cleaning, and servicing.
They improve worker safety, reduce fall risks, increase maintenance efficiency, ensure regulatory compliance, and minimise downtime by providing stable, secure access to hard-to-reach areas.
Yes. Most platforms are modular or custom-engineered to fit different vehicle heights, widths, curved profiles, and multiple train models, including freight, passenger, and light rail vehicles.
Common safety features include:
Yes. Our platforms are designed to comply with the design standard BS EN 14122. Compliance helps reduce liability and ensures safe working conditions.
With proper maintenance, platforms typically last 15–30 years or more, depending on material (steel vs. aluminium), environment, usage intensity, and inspection routines.
Yes. Planet Platforms warrants each new product manufactured and sold by it to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 12 months from date of delivery to a customer.
