Problems of assessing the contrast of guiding paths on railway platforms

<ns3:p>The contrast requirement is particularly important to ensure the accessibility of railway infrastructure for people with visual impairments. The importance of this aspect was confirmed based on a review of the literature in this area. According to TSI PRM, the contrast parameter should be met, among others, to guide paths on platforms. Experience in EC verification shows that demonstrating compliance for this parameter based on constructed platform measurements is often difficult. The research aimed to determine the conditions for carrying out EC verification concerning the contrast of guiding paths on platforms. The article discusses methods for determining the light reflectance value (LRV) and calculating the index for field measurements on railway platforms. The conclusions were formulated based on data analysis obtained from measurements on selected railway line No. 351 platforms. The paper discusses the results obtained from the measurements based on the LRV calculation formula according to Michelson. In addition, three main aspects are presented, indicating the need to specify more than one set of colors for a given guiding path on the platform, i.e., color perception, sample heterogeneity, and the degree of degradation. Based on the analysis, a recommendation was formulated for paving material producers to determine at least the range of LRV values for their materials. Regarding EC verification, an assessment was proposed based on the average LRV values for the guiding path's identified colors and background.</ns3:p>