1. This Order may be cited as the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (North Western Trains Class 175/0 and Class 175/1 Vehicles) Exemption Order 2000 and shall come into force on 22nd March 2000.

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 which are numbered 50701 to 50711 and 79701 to 79711 and which form the diesel multiple-units numbered 175001 to 175011 of the class known as “Class 175/0” and to the rail vehicles which are numbered 50751 to 50766, 56751 to 56766 and 79751 to 79766 and which form the diesel multiple-units numbered 175101 to 175116 of the class known as “Class 175/1” (“the exempted vehicles”) as manufactured by ALSTOM Transport Limited for use by North Western Trains Company Limited.

4. —(1) Subject to article 5 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–

• regulation 4(2), but only in so far as it relates to the emission of warning sounds outside an exempted vehicle;

• regulation 4(3)(b);

• regulation 6(1)(d);

• regulation 18(3); and

• regulation 20(1)(f)(ii), but only in so far as the handrail does not comply with regulation 11(2)(b).

5. —(1) The authorisation given by article 4(1) above shall cease forthwith in respect of an exempted vehicle which is operated by a person other than North Western Train Company Limited, unless the Secretary of State has been given written notice in advance specifying the name and address of that other person.

(2) The authorisation given by article 4(1) above shall cease at the end of 31st December 2000.