Citation and commencement

1. This Order may be cited as the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (South Central Class 375/3 Vehicles) Exemption Order and shall come into force on 16th July 2002.

Application

2. This Order applies to the rail vehicles which are numbered 68201 to 68228, 68401 to 68428, and 74801 to 74828 and which form the electrical multiple units numbered 375311 to 375338 of the class known as “Class 375/3” (“the exempted vehicles”) as manufactured by Bombardier Transportation UK Limited for use by South Central Limited.

Exemption

3. Subject to articles 4 and 6, the exempted vehicles are hereby authorised to be used for carriage even though they do not conform with that part of regulation 13(7) of the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998( 2 ) which requires that the first letter of, and numbers used in, announcements on visual systems on the front of a regulated rail vehicle shall be not less than 70 millimetres high.

4. It is a condition of the exemption given by article 3 that the first letter of, and numbers used in, announcements on a visual system on the front of an exempted vehicle shall be not less than 49 millimetres high.

Expiry

5. The exemption given by article 3 shall expire at the end of 30th June 2003.

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