From a testing laboratory for railway technical components to a human factors simulation environment

Due to continuous automation and the introduction of new technologies at railway workplaces, there is a high demand for human factors research in the railway domain. In order to study the human contribution to performance and safety of the railway system, the Institute of Transportation in the German Aerospace Centre decided to upgrade the existing railway laboratory RailSiTe to a human factors simulation environment. As a result, valid subject studies for train drivers can be run without risk for life and material and do not interfere with real railway operations. This paper describes, how the original simulator – designed to test technical components for the European Train Control System – was reconfigured to meet the requirements for human factor studies. The chosen criteria are described as well as the possibilities of the new environment.