ETCS – Signallers information: what do they need?

Network Rail is the infrastructure Manager for the UK network, and part of our strategy is to implement ETCS (European Train Control System) across the network. There are projects underway to deliver this in the near future... [ view full abstract ]

Network Rail is the infrastructure Manager for the UK network, and part of our strategy is to implement ETCS (European Train Control System) across the network. There are projects underway to deliver this in the near future on Thameslink, East Coast and Western Routes
ETCS has had a lot of attention, and raised many Human Factors areas of interest over the previous years, but it has mostly been focused on the impact of ETCS on train drivers; looking at areas such as heads up heads down driving, workload and information presentation. However, whilst the impact on signallers is more limited in nature it does create its own human factors challenges that can be more localised (project specific) in their nature. The information that is potentially available to signallers with ETCS increases dramatically, and it is what we do with this information that is the focus of this paper. The paper focuses on three main considerations:
1. What is required to be available to the signaller – the bare minimum
2. What are the potential benefits of providing more than what is identified as the minimum?
3. How to introduce this new information into pre-existing signalling displays and control systems
This paper discusses how each of the above can and are being considered in the context of delivery programmes within Network Rail with differing project scopes and requirements.
It will look at some of the information that is available, how it could be used and how learning from the Cambrian pilot of ETCS can be used.