Gaming Simulation and Human Factors in Complex Socio-Technical Systems: A Multi-Level Approach to Mental Models and Situation Awareness in Railway Traffic Control

Abstract

The most dominant reason for the Dutch railways to innovate has been the expected increase in railway passengers and freight demand. To achieve this a large scale (re)design process of the railways as complex socio-technical system is needed. Since infrastructural expansion alone is not a sustainable option, solutions are also sought in innovative process optimizations. Train traffic and network controllers are responsible operators for the operational management of the railway system. With their experience, these operators hold unique knowledge about the system’s actual characteristics and its dynamics. Therefore, it is crucial to test and train any new system design with them, for example by gaming simulations. This dissertation focuses on the role of the human operator as part of a large-scale socio-technical system (re)design process of the Dutch railway system.