The Attention of Train Drivers : An experimental study of differences in attention between Automatic Train Control and European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS)

Abstract: A European project is gradually replacing the current train control systems to a mutual control system called as the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS). I Sweden they have implemented the new train control system on a few train-lines in the northern part of Sweden. There has been reported problems from train drivers that have used the new control system, the problems consist of both negative affects on train performance and railroad capacity. This study is part of a larger project conducted by The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, with an aim to investigate how the attention is affected in the new train control system compared to the Automatic Train Control (ATC) system. Data collection through eye-tracking have shown significant results in the distribution of visual glances inside and outside the cabin of the train. Drivers tend to distribute more and longer glances inside the train with the ERTMS. Drivers also tend to miss information presented on the track, such as signs informing when to make a sound before an unattended level crossing. These results suggest that ERTMS could have a negative impact on the drivers situation awareness and also could have a negative affect on the drivers attention that impacts the ability to notice what is happening outside the cabin.