200311 – Nick & Slamen – The Application of Human Factors to the Development UK Standards for VDU Based Signalling Control Systems

Across the UK Rail infrastructure a number of alterative approaches to the development of VDU based signalling control systems (VSCS) are being adopted by different companies in order to meet the demands of improved railway safety and performance. The systems incorporate different signaller – system interaction design models; interface functionalities; alarms systems and schematic layout conventions.

This paper introduces the work that Human Engineering has undertaken in conjunction with the Network Rail Ergonomics Group in order to ensure that human factors requirements and guidelines are properly incorporated into revised and new Network Rail standards for VSCS design. It outlines the issues and processes involved; the adopted approach; and provides specific examples concerning the development of requirements for signalling schematic maps and alarms systems.