Towards a distributed cognition perspective of the Swedish train traffic system (original) (raw)

In Sweden, train traffic on the operational level is dependent on two main actors: train traffic controllers and train drivers. Train traffic controllers are engaged in a remote control process, monitoring train paths, points, and signals and when necessary, reschedule the current traffic plan with respect to perturbations and disruptions. The remote control process includes two different time frames which in turn require two different ways of working: one in the form of planning ahead and the other in the form of acting directly on feedback from the monitoring system. The main task of the train drivers is to operate their trains by following signals and the current plan set by the traffic controllers. The importance of a well-functioning collaboration between train drivers and train traffic controllers has lately received interest in the Human Factors & Ergonomics (HF&E) research (e.g. Tschirner, Sandblad & Andersson, 2014). This has led to updated work strategies for the traffic controllers that can enable them to continuously re-plan the traffic by projecting the traffic situation instead of the previous strategy to identify and handle conflicts as they occur. The new strategy is called control by re-planning (Kauppi, Wikström, Sandblad, & Andersson, 2006) and Kauppi et al. describe that it supports the traffic controllers' need to plan ahead and works as an efficient tool for solving traffic conflicts.

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