Performance shaping factors affecting driver safety-related behaviour in urban rail systems : Tyne & Wear Metro case

Abstract

It is accepted that train drivers’ safety performance is affected by numerous performance shaping factors (PSF). Design of the physical environment is among these factors. Even though the body of knowledge in rail human factors is increasing, it is limited as it is often i) reactive, ii) focusing mainly on single type incidents, iii) prioritising high profile accidents, iv) not always fully addressing existing risk profiles. Railway systems with different design features are usually grouped together for research purposes thus disregarding the fact that system design can alter effects of the PSFs. This is especially true for urban rail systems. A combination of concurrent and sequential research in this mixed methods thesis has investigated PSFs associated with metro systems design, using the Tyne & Wear Metro system as its application case. The PSFs embedded in everyday operations have been studied on different system levels through historic incident analysis, drivers’ surveys, semi-structured interviews, eye-tracking and simulation experiments. Some of the established methodologies have been adapted in order to address the research objectives set. Novel approaches have been developed for the deployment of in-service eye-tracking using dynamic areas of interest and the development of a low-cost high fidelity simulator using gaming software and hardware. Selected station layouts have been assessed through measures of workload, stress and signal checking behaviour thus supporting PSF inter-dependence. The results suggest the influence on the performance of arrival and departure procedures of the angle between a signal, a driver and a mirror. Among the latent conditions potentially inducing incident propagation are passenger levels, the platform side, informativeness of design elements, openness and lighting conditions of a station, and distances from a stopping position to other elements of the station design.