A practical approach to evaluating train cabs against task requirements

Abstract

The link between train cab design and driver performance is well established. Physical assessments of cabs for reach and visibility have, for many years, been key considerations in cab arrangement. As such, techniques for performing assessments based on anthropometric models and reach and vision envelopes, are well defined. On a cognitive level, however, there is less prescriptive guidance. This paper describes a structured approach for assessing a train cab against task requirements. The assessment is divided into two stages; the first assesses the location of each of the cab controls in turn against their frequency of use, functional grouping, and risk of inadvertent operation. The second assesses the cab against routine tasks based on a hierarchical task analysis model. Although both methods have their relative merits, the task-based assessment was found to reveal additional insights, based on the sequence of operations, which were not detected in the static assessment.