It is impracticable to upgrade the 18,900 Australian passive crossings as such crossings are often located in remote areas, where power is lacking and with low road and rail traffic. The rail industry is interested in developing innovative in-vehicle technology interventions to warn motorists of approaching trains directly in their vehicles. The objective of this study was therefore to evaluate the benefits of the introduction of such technology. We evaluated the changes in driver performance once the technology is enabled and functioning correctly, as well as the effects of an unsafe failure of the technology? We conducted a driving simulator study where participants (N = 15) were familiarised with an in-vehicle audio warning for an extended period. After being familiarised with the system, the technology started failing, and we tested the reaction of drivers with a train approaching. This study has shown that with the traditional passive crossings with RX2 signage, the majority of drivers complied (70 %) and looked for trains on both sides of the rail track. With the introduction of the in-vehicle audio message, drivers did not approach crossings faster, did not reduce their safety margins and did not reduce their gaze towards the rail tracks. However, participants’ compliance at the stop sign decreased by 16.5 % with the technology installed in the vehicle. The effect of the failure of the in-vehicle audio warning technology showed that most participants did not experience difficulties in detecting the approaching train even though they did not receive any warning message. This showed that participants were still actively looking for trains with the system in their vehicle. However, two participants did not stop and one decided to beat the train when they did not receive the audio message, suggesting potential human factors issues to be considered with such technology.

Australia is home to the biggest light rail network and the industry is currently undergoing a renaissance. However, there is littleresearch to indicate the extent to which well-informed human factors and ergonomics practises are being incorporated into tram cab design. A lack of standardised features may create transfer conflicts between cabs, as well as operational issues and concerns for occupational health. The aim of this paper is to improve our understanding of the socio-technical complexity of light rail and to enhance how design standards are informed in this domain. Various human factors methods were used, including observational cab rides, objective force assessments, interviews, and focus groups. Data were collected across two sites and analysed thematically. Analysis of data suggested a substandard level human factors and ergonomics input in the design of the cab and driver interface that violated many key tenets of established design guidelines. These were particularly concerned with the usability of the master controller (i.e. throttle lever) and various issues in the design of the tram driver workspace. Findings also revealed a number of subtle yet significant features associated with delivery of service that created safety-performance conflicts. In conclusion, very little human factors input of tram driving, and the ergonomics considerations of the driver’s workplace in general, appear to be going into the design of tram cabs. This may be related to the practice of using non-specific standards for developing trams and/or poorly integrating human factors and ergonomics into their specification processes. Some considerations for future work are given.

This paper aimed to describe track irregularity of Beijing Subway. A preprocessing data that are from the upward track of Beijing Subway line 10 have been used in the survey. In addition, based on the maximum entropy principle, the spectrum of track irregularity power spectral density which is short for PSD has been drawn using MATLAB and fitted by using a nonlinear least squares method. After all scientific discussion, the results show the characteristic parameters of PSD. Furthermore, by contrasting Beijing Subway with national rail line, a proper function research has been done about track irregularity of Beijing Subway and the characteristics of track irregularity power spectral.

This paper discusses the concept of using a metropolitan railway network to transport freight directly to a city centre from the surrounding businesses. Specifically we look in depth at the Tyne and Wear Metro system, situated in Newcastle upon Tyne, to determine if such a scheme would be feasible. Through research into the modes of transport available, along with a review of literature and case studies, it was found that the current method of transporting the majority of freight by road is unsustainable and damaging to both the environment and local communities. Other options for the transportation of freight have been reviewed, and results showed that a modal shift will be necessary in the near future. The system was then modelled using software provided by the Department for Transport, which demonstrated that the implementation of such a scheme would provide vast accident savings, a reduction in the number of casualties on the road, and a monetary saving as a result of the lower casualty rate. The conclusion was reached that the scheme is viable; however, further research and study are necessary before implementation.