Putting the Human at the Centre of the Digital Railway

The Digital Railway Programme (DRP) is a transformationalbusiness change programme to modernise the rail network for the benefit ofpassengers, the freight industry and the wider GB economy. The core objectivesare to deliver... [ view full abstract ]

The Digital Railway Programme (DRP) is a transformationalbusiness change programme to modernise the rail network for the benefit ofpassengers, the freight industry and the wider GB economy. The core objectivesare to deliver greater reliability, better connections and more capacity, inorder to lower costs, deliver a better experience and support domesticfinancial output.

Three phases are considered in the DRP with different aims:the first phase is to complete projects in delivery based on existing commitments,the second is to build a robust and deliverable plan for national rollout,including the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2, a new TrafficManagement (TM) system and a Connected Driver Advisory System (C-DAS); finally,the third phase is to develop new technological products, systems, processesand capabilities to realise objectives such as improved capacity, performanceand to reduce journey times. This foresees the use of ETCS Level 3, AutomaticTrain Operation (ATO) and further developments of Traffic Management.

The Network Rail (NR) Ergonomics team is working to supportthe DRP in achieving its objectives. This paper provides an update on theDigital Railway Programme, an overview of the Network Rail Ergonomicscontribution to all phases of the work, from determining how new technologiescan best be integrated with existing systems to supporting the development ofthe operating concept for ETCS Level 3. Specific examples are discussed such asthe development of TM systems, ETCS, ATO and C-DAS. The paper illustrates thebenefits that ergonomics is bringing to the implementation of these newtechnologies and the challenges that are being overcome.