Human Factors input into the Systems Architecture for the Digital Railway

Digital Railway BackgroundThe Digital Railway is an industry programme focusing on digital modernisation with its key focus being on developing a plan for targeting digital systems to increase rail capacity and improve network... [ view full abstract ]

Digital Railway Background

The Digital Railway is an industry programme focusing on digital modernisation with its key focus being on developing a plan for targeting digital systems to increase rail capacity and improve network performance across the UK railway industry.

Project and Delivery Team

Working for the Digital Railway programme, Arup formed part of a team, to create a vision and industry architecture to underpin the digital transformation of the rail network. This work involved assessing the ‘as is’ capability through engaging with stakeholders, defining the target state through creating a ‘systems of systems’ design and concept of operations for 2029 and developing a change architecture to outline how the delivery of capabilities should be phased in order to achieve the target state.

This involved bringing many different experts together and creating a high performing team culture as behaviours were central to success of the project.

The project focused on three key target and enhancement areas which included:

• More trains - More trains are needed to run on existing tracks and be safer, faster and cheaper and help to increase the impact of vital upgrades like HS2 and Crossrail.

• Better connections - Digital modernisation is the essential enable of connecting more skills to jobs and more goods to markets in order to support economic growth in the UK.

• Greater reliability - By modernising train command, control and signalling systems designed in a pre-digital age, modern railways are required to deliver substantial improvements in reliability at lower cost.

Human Factors Approach

Arup were responsible for delivering the Human Factors elements of the project. It was an opportunity to influence design thinking at a very early stage of a programme and whilst “Ergonomist often complain that they have not been brought in early enough, coming in at the start with a blank piece of paper can be worrying, even frightening’ (From evaluation of Human Work, 3rd Edition, J. Wilson & N. Corlett). Therefore it was an opportunity to apply an innovative approach.

The work involved engaging with different stakeholders to understand the ‘as is’ capabilities in terms of Human Factors and developing a number of Human Factors considerations associated with what the different outcomes Digital Railway was trying to achieve. These included:

• Remote review, control and deployment: review of information and data / life-cycle management, remote monitoring and control and local deployment.

• Efficient flows and behaviours: flows within and between nodes.

• Skills and cognitions: enhanced decisions and skills due to automation.

• User centricity: customer centric and feedback satisfaction.

• Industry design and culture: industry changes.

The work also involved providing input to the concept of operations and Human Factors considerations were brought to life through the use of personas, which helped to bring to life what the change means for different stakeholders and roles, as well as validate the design through ensuring all components and interactions have been considered holistically.