Evaluation of rail technology: a practical human factors guide

Rapid advancements in train control and in-cab technologies provide significant opportunities for rail operators to improve efficiency and enhance their operations.

New technologies often provide elegant solutions to existing problems or new capabilities for the operator.

However, new technologies may also represent a significant form of risk.

Thus, it is important to balance the potential for significant improvement with justifiable concern about how the technology may unpredictably change the nature of the work.

If a technology is designed and implemented without considering the substantive human factors concerns, that technology may lead to unintended consequences that can introduce safety issues and disrupt network performance.

It is important to note that even a well-designed and beneficial technology may be rejected by the users who see it as a threat to their jobs, status or working conditions.