The train driver's cabin of the future

Steffen Renisch
August 1, 2021

Throughout every generation of vehicles, cabins have been shaped by the society, technology and rail operations of their time, and their design therefore sheds lights on how these areas evolved. What is state-of-the-art technology today will eventually and find its place in railroad history as it is replaced by something new. But what will train drivers‘ cabins look like in 20 or 30 years? This question was examined within the "Train Drivers of DB Fernverkehr AG" topic by a wide range of experts from the innovation agency "…and dosSantos GmbH" and, most importantly, with train drivers themselves –an endeavor which yielded highly interesting results.

A system that combines the strengths of people with the strengths of technology is successful.

In the development of drivers‘ cabins, it‘s clear to see how technology is becoming more and more attuned to people. The increasingly ergonomic design of human-machine interfaces is a continuing trend both on the railroad and beyond it, and will continue to contribute to the transformation of driver's cabins. For example, earlier generations of locomotive drivers had to perform their work primarily in a standing position, whereas a driver's seat that adjusts to body size and weight is now standard.The position and shape of the vehicle controls are also becoming more accommodating, in the truest sense of the word, to the person in the driver's cabin.

It‘s expected that in future train driver cabins, more and more vehicle functions can be controlled from a single location, reducing the need to move between switches and shut-off valves. While up until a few years ago one had to squeeze into a narrow space in the engine room to switch off a traction motor in electric locomotives, it’s now possible to group a traction unit conveniently using touchscreens without leaving the driver's cabin.

This is mainly possible due to another megatrend that will inevitably be reflected in future driver's cabins - digitalization. Although this is making technology increasingly complex, it‘s also making this complexity manageable by simplifying operations. It wasn't so long ago that a telephone still required a cable and had a dialpad. Today, we swipe across the small screen of a mobile device that 20 years ago required a mid-range PC for its computing power and storage capacity.

Future developments

With systems such as automatic driving and braking control, the level of available assistance in driving a traction unit is increasing. Digitalization also enables a high degree of networking, which is already commonplace in a wide variety of forms. The transmission of diagnostic data from the vehicle to maintenance units has long been standard and can be expanded to, say, remote maintenance.

These developments are also fundamentally important for autonomous driving. Against this background, the need for further development of the driver's cabin as a workplace can perhaps be questioned. In the coming years, autonomous driving will undoubtedly play an increasing role. But whether and when autonomous driving will replace all human-controlled driving on the railways is difficult to determine. A closer look clearly shows that, in addition to autonomous driving trains, there will still be trains driven by humans a few decades from now. This length of time is simply too long not to commit to the further development of drivers‘ cabins.

This also raises the fundamental question of whether the replacement of the human system by technology implies the loss of human qualities. Just like humans, technology has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, while technology is better than humans at monitoring processes over an extended period of time without error, humans have a better ability to assess and respond to unexpected situations. Thus, a system that combines the strengths of technology with those of humans could be more successful than a system based solely on technology.

Ergonomics, digitalization, networking

Ergonomics, digitization, networking - these trends of our time are clearly recognizable. Let's imagine a possible future and let the train drivers describe their work in such a vehicle. It could look like this:

Preparing for the train journey

I‘ve checked the location of the vehicle and the route to it in an app on my tablet while I was still on the way to the parking station. In doing so, I’ve already received the information about which vehicle it is, where it is parked, what operating status it‘s in and what faults it has. At the location, I find that both the standing position and the status correspond exactly to the information transmitted to me. I go to the driver's cabin, where I will start the first trip. The vehicle connects to my tablet and recognizes me as the driver. The door unlocks automatically as a result. Upon entering the driver's cab, the voice control greets me personally.

I place my backpack next to the driver's seat, hang my jacket on a hanger behind it and sit down in the driver's seat. When I sit down, the vehicle recognizes my presence at the driver's desk and presents me with its current status. The necessary checks(e.g. brake test, test runs of the train control systems) and preparations (e.g.loading the timetable display) have already been completed.

A message in the display informs me that all work (e.g. cleaning, maintenance) has been completed and the vehicle is released and ready to run. I need only check that this message is still present. Due to a malfunctioning brake, the vehicle does not reach its full braking power today. I acknowledge the faults in the display. The timetable has already been adjusted accordingly and the speeds deviating from the control state are indicated by a different color display. At the same time, the operations center has received the information about the speed restrictions. All disruptions have already been automatically transmitted to the dispatching center and the workshop. I can confirm this by a symbol in the malfunction list.

Start of train journey

In the event of an operational turnaround, the train detects via location sensors that a change of direction is taking place. After stopping, the train is automatically secured against rolling away. The current train data is transmitted to the other driver's cab without the need for my intervention. This includes the limited braking capacity as a result of the faulty brake. The driver who is driving on automatically receives an updated timetable display in which the speeds are adjusted accordingly. I deactivate my driver's cabin. Immediately, the necessary test runs and other processes begin in preparation for the onward journey in the other driver's cabin. The voice assistance system helps me make sure I don't forget anything.

As the driver continuing the journey, I have already connected to the train via my tablet been informed about the status of the train before it arrives. This way, I already know that a brake has malfunctioned. Once my train arrives, I enter the driver's cabin directly through a separate door. The necessary checks (for example, brake test, test runs train control systems) and preparations (for example, loading the timetable display) have already been completed. Once I have acknowledged all faults and confirmed my presence, the train automatically reports to the dispatcher as "ready to run". The train journey can continue.

Parking the train at the end of the journey

After the train journey, I drive the vehicle to the parking area. The information on further use of the train is continuously transmitted from the dispatching system to the vehicle. This means that the data for the subsequent service is automatically available. I deactivate the driver's cab. The vehicle automatically secures itself against rolling away. The information on its further use, time, and outside temperature indicate in which condition it must be parked.

This is shown on the display. A few seconds later, the display shows the message that the vehicle does not need any further input. I leave the train and devote myself to my next task.

Outlook

A driving shift could run like this in the future. The scenarios described here are based on existing technologies and developments. The challenge therefore lies primarily in implementing existing innovations. To this end, the standard for the design of drivers‘ cabins and operating concepts must be further developed together with operators, manufacturers and stakeholders. On the basis of the fourth EU Railway Pact, the focus must be on people and their specific (human)factors.

Sources

ERAGuideline - Requirements for the safety management system for the safetycertificate or safety authorisation V1.2.

Resultsof the project "Driver's cab of the future" (DB Fernverkehr AG, Tfdivision, "and dos Santos" GmbH).

COMMISSIONREGULATION (EU) 2018/762 of 8 March 2018 on common safety methods as regardsrequirements for safety management systems pursuant to

Directive(EU) 2016/798 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealingRegulations (EU) No. 1158/2010 and (EU) No. 1169/2010.

Author

Steffen Renisch, Head ofTrain Driver Qualification, DB Fernverkehr AG, Frankfurt am Main

Published in Deine Bahn 8/21, used with kind permission of Bahn Fachverlag GmbH https://www.system-bahn.net

Illustration

Christian Sommer, Sommer-Illustration, 20357 Hamburg

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