Solutions to the problem of inconsistent plans in railway traffic operation

• Analysis of the organisation of operative train traffic control.
• Proposal of the concept of a real-time traffic plan to coordinate collaboration.
• Human factors guided design of systems for traffic control and driver advice.
• The systems implement sharing of a real-time traffic plan, are deployed and in use.
• Evaluation shows improvements of planning efficiency and work environment.

The demands on modern railway traffic systems are high. Higher efficiency is required, meaning better utilisation of infrastructure capacity and reduced energy consumption. Timeliness has a high priority and safety has to be unconditional. The operation of railway traffic includes many actors in different roles and separate organisations. Our studies of train traffic control have shown that improved collaboration between the actors and advanced control systems are needed to meet the high demands. Instead, many actors are following their own plans based on their own goals and insufficient information. This paper explores the concept of a real-time traffic plan (RTTP) to coordinate collaboration between the different actors, and demonstrates how it can be implemented in systems for train traffic control and driver information. We present the traffic control system STEG and the driver advisory system CATO. Both systems are in use, allowing re-planning and sharing of such an RTTP. Based on these systems, we discuss general and specific design solutions, in accordance with human factors and explain a way of introducing automation that supports the traffic controllers without interfering with their planning. With these systems, we are able to show that a more holistic approach to train traffic control, based on an RTTP, is technically feasible and that sharing this plan with the train drivers substantially improves qualities in train traffic control.