Performance and usability testing of a tablet based train remote control

Abstract

In the project Automated Regional Trains in Lower Saxony (ARTE), the project partners ALSTOM (Alstom Transport Deutschland GmbH and Alstom Signal GmbH), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Department of Railway Operations and Infrastructure (BBI) at the TU Berlin are investigating highly automated operation (Grade of Automation 3 and 4) in today's rail network. One focus of the project is the development of simplified remote control using a tablet computer for the fallback level (Remote Train Operation - RTO) in the event of a malfunction of the Automatic Train Operation (ATO). Results of user tests on a test track and public infrastructure (performance and usability) are reported.