The Impact of On-Train Camera/Monitors (OTCM) remaining on during dispatch on Drivers' Responses to Hazards on the Line

Driver Only Operated On-train Camera / Monitor (DOO(P) OTCM) systems can be used by train drivers to monitor the platform-train interface (PTI)during train dispatch. However, it is not currently known whether leaving these... [ view full abstract ]

Driver Only Operated On-train Camera / Monitor (DOO(P) OTCM) systems can be used by train drivers to monitor the platform-train interface (PTI)during train dispatch. However, it is not currently known whether leaving these monitors on reduces drivers’ performance in other driving tasks.

To address this issue, this trial examined driver performance in reacting to hazards on the line when the OTCM systems were left on during station departure and when the monitors were turned off.

Drivers drove a simulator over different scenarios, some of which involved a hazard on the line for them to respond to. In half the scenarios, the monitors were on during departure, and in the other half they were off. Some scenarios also involved PTI hazards to ensure drivers were paying attention to the monitors.

Results indicated that more hazards were missed, and reaction times were significantly longer, when the monitors remained on. Therefore, this trial demonstrated that leaving monitors on impacts driver performance when reacting to hazards on the line. A second trial is planned to investigate the benefits of keeping the monitors on to manage PTI risk as a train departs a station.