This document discusses the working conditions of loco pilots in the Indian Railways. It describes the various components of a locomotive dashboard and operations. It highlights key issues loco pilots face such as poor ergonomics of seating and controls which cause musculoskeletal issues. They are also exposed to high noise, temperature, pollution and vibrations which impact their health. The study analyzes these problems and identifies areas for potential design improvements to the locomotive cabin and dashboard for better ergonomics, visibility, controls access and working conditions.

2. Contents
1
Indian Railways ......................................................................................................................................... 4
2
Objective .................................................................................................................................................. 5
3
Proposed Outcome .................................................................................................................................. 5
4
About Loco pilots ..................................................................................................................................... 6
4.1
5
Understanding: ......................................................................................................................................... 7
5.1
6
Loco cabin Operation and Dashboard .............................................................................................. 7
User Study: ............................................................................................................................................... 9
6.1
7
Assistant loco pilots .......................................................................................................................... 6
Operator - Ramesh ........................................................................................................................ 10
Health Concerns due to improper working conditions .......................................................................... 10
7.1
Fatigue ............................................................................................................................................ 10
7.2
Sound Pollution .............................................................................................................................. 10
7.3
Temperature and Pollution ............................................................................................................ 11
8
DASHBOARD COMPONENTS .................................................................................................................. 13
1
VISIBILITY SITTING .................................................................................................................................. 14
2
FROM SEAT ............................................................................................................................................. 14
8.1
9
Difference between Diesel and Electric Engine in terms of Ergonomic Factors ............................ 15
USERSTUDY ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ..................................................................................................... 16
9.1
Very High Temperature: ................................................................................................................. 16
9.2
Sound Pollution: ............................................................................................................................. 16
9.2.1
Seats: ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
9.3
Accessibility of operational controls .............................................................................................. 16
9.4
Visibility .......................................................................................................................................... 16
9.5
Interpretation of signal. ................................................................................................................. 17
9.6
Coherence of warning systems ...................................................................................................... 17
9.7
Poor Feedback on operations/actions ........................................................................................... 18
9.8
Gears & Knobs ................................................................................................................................ 18
9.9
Knobs Detached ............................................................................................................................. 18
9.10
Changing Interfaces ........................................................................................................................ 18
9.11
Unclean working environment ....................................................................................................... 19
9.12
Parallax Error .................................................................................................................................. 19
9.13
Inadequate provisions for placing items ........................................................................................ 20
9.14
No basic amenities ......................................................................................................................... 21

4. INTRODUCTION
1 Indian Railways
Indian Railways are the largest rail network in Asia and the world's second largest under one
management. Criss-crossing the country's vast geographical spread, Indian Railways are a multigauge, multi-traction system covering over 1 lakh track kilometres,300 yards, 2300 goodsheds
and 700 repair shops. Its rolling stock fleet includes 8300 locomotives, 39,000 coaching vehicles
and 3.5 lakh freight wagons. Its work force is 1.65 million and it runs some 11,000 trains
everyday, including 7,000 passenger trains. Freight traffic on Indian Railways has registered an
impressive growth in the last four decades. Increase in the last few years have been particularly
striking. From a mere 93 million tonnes of originating freight traffic in 1950-51, Railways carried
nearly 376 million tonnes in 1992-93, an increase of 304%. This has been despite the ever
increasing pressure of passenger traffic which increased during the same period from 1.28 billion
passengers carried to 4.2 billion to make an Indian Railways (IR) a leading passenger carrying
railway in the world.
Over the years, Railways have built up an elaborate and well established manual information
system to help them monitoring their moving assets. Supported by a dedicated voice
communications network, it collects and transmits information from the remotest corners of the
country to control centers, at the highest level. The size and complexity of their operations,
growing traffic and changing technologies, placed inevitably a heavy burden on this manual
information system. Need for its modernization was therefore felt for sometime.
Indian Railways is the state-owned railway company of India, which owns and operates most of
the country's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India.
Indian Railways has more than 64,015 kilometres of track and 7,083 stations. It has the world's
fourth largest railway network after those of the United States, Russia and China.
Indian railways uses a number of different Diesel and Electric locomotives, Steam locomotives
were once very common but are now only used on heritage routes Indian railways uses four
gauges, the 1,676mm broad gauge which is wider than the 1,435mm standard gauge; the
1,000mm metre gauge; and two narrow gauges, 762 mm and 610 mm . Track sections are rated
for speeds ranging from 75 to 160 km/h. Many railway stations are in gross disrepair, dirty,
outdated and overcrowded, especially when compared to stations in developed countries.
Sometimes passengers are seen on trains hanging out windows and even on the roof creating
safety problems.[43] The interior of many train compartments are poorly maintained from rust,
dirt and common wear and tear.
As, Railway network is the most preferable and one of the cheapest form of transport affordable
by most of the classes in the society, there is huge demand for designing an ergonomically
efficient and fool proof system which includes safety in terms signal interpretation, operations
and the working conditions of the Locomotives.

5. 2 Objective
To study the Railway Locomotive Engine Cabin, from an ergonomics point of view, in relation to
the Dashboard and Operations of the Loco-pilot and to analyze and identify the scope for design
and propose solutions
3 Proposed Outcome
To propose an ergonomically efficient design for Dashboard based on the current operational issues faced
by the Loco-pilots in Indian Context. A dashboard design in relation to the signal reception, understanding,
distance indication, comfort and efficient in operation and performance.

6. An Ergonomic study on
Working conditions of Loco Pilots
This study is aimed at understanding and analyzing the current scenario of railway engine
operation in the cabin, to identify the various challenges involved and the cognitive behavior of
drivers while performing their daily operations and provide design solutions.
4 About Loco pilots
•
Operation of Railway engine is more than mere riding. One has to know to read,
remember and interpret all kinds of signals with high level concentration and alertness.
•
They are usually trained for 6 months to a year in signal interpretation and engine
operation. And later they have an exam for evaluation of our capabilities.
•
They usually work for 8-13 hrs. They work in alternate shifts. They usually rest in the
running room which is present in all the major junctions.
•
The teaching techniques which are being used in imparting railway rules and operations is
the same which that are coined by the British. 82 amendments have been made so far.
4.1 ASSISTANT LOCO PILOTS
Duties to perform
•
The assistant driver has to convey signal to the pilot.
•
He has to operate the horn
•
He has to put his head out at curves because the visibility is very less at curves. This
results in chronic neck pain.
•
As the dashboard is placed behind the assistant loco pilot they have to twist their body
quite often to perform their duties.
In AC engines they have to perform checks of the engine parameters every one hour.
•
This involves walking through the generator section inside the engine
•
•
He is exposed to:
Loud noise produced by the generator
High temperature of the engine every one hour
•
And comes in contact fumes & grime

7. In case of any faults in the engine operation, charge apply equally on Loco pilot and Assistant
loco pilots.
5 Understanding:
5.1 LOCO CABIN OPERATION AND DASHBOARD
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Diesel and electric engines are major types of engines in use. Basic operations include
checking the brake power, oil level , sharp look out wile on run & must observe all
permanent & temporary speed restrictions
Direct view is not mandatory to be able to drive the locos; side view is mostly used to
capture the signals. They just read the signals for which they need to bend a bit. Based on
the signals given by the Central Signal Unit which is present in every major junction they
operate the engine.
The entire conversation with the Signal Unit happens over a Walkie Talkie. In case of
urgency they use our mobiles. Mostly mobile conversation is prohibited while operating
the Loco.
The Walkie Talkie operates within 3-4 km reach of the arriving/departed station. After
they rely only on the signals.
While running the engine in the curves especially when the signals are located on the
curves, they have to bend and see. Otherwise they are visible from the seated position.
Mechanical Failures could be due to break down of the cooling system, lack of lubrication.
It is a fool proof safe signal network; failure could be only due to human errors.
In case of natural calamities they would stop the engine few km prior to the location of
disaster as they would continuous workers to monitor the condition of the track, the
climatic condition and inform the nearest station from where they would be getting the
signal.
In case they are unable to get any signals, say they are no stations nearby the track
monitors would explode dynamite whole vibrations could be detected by the loco when
its few km away. In that way they could prevent any severe damage.
There is a digital setup which records the all the actions during a particular journey. The
Loco pilots have to just fill in their profile details and the engine operations will be
automatically recorded.
Sand is being continuously filled in every station so that incase of rains or slippery
surfaces, pouring sand on the tracks gives friction thereby reducing slippage.
Pole signal operation

8. Signal communication box in case of
emergencies when communication
through Walkie Talkie is not possible
Arrow pointing refers to
this track
•
Station to station signal operation – say a train is leaving from station A to Station B, It has
successfully reached the station B and got a clear signal from the station master and has
left station B and is heading towards Station C. In between station B and C somewhere in
between 20 km away, if there is a failure of the engine, the loco would be stopped. One
can use a mobile or a walkie talkie to communicate this to the Signal Unit. In case of
absence of network, the loco pilot or his assistant has to stop the train there and go to the
nearest signal pole where there is a communication network box through which they
could send the signal indicating the failure. Later the Signal Unit would receive this
message and locate the train using GPS and would do the required repair. A new train
would start from station B only when the old train which left from station B has
successfully reached station C. No two trains can go in the same track within small time
difference.
10 km
Station A
Signal regarding
failure sent
2 km
Station C
Station B
Failure
Pole
Signal regarding failure
reached C

9. 6 User Study:
Conducted at Bangalore Central, South Western Railways.
Supervisors Training Center, Bangalore.
Yeswanthpur Railway station, Bangalore.
Operator – T. Venkatesh
•
Has 23 years of experience and has operated both diesel and electric engines.
•
A basic graduation or diploma or ITI is required prior to the training given in railways for
Loco operation.
•
There is absolutely no room for entertainment, 365 days of work, the shifts keep on
changing every day. In case of leave we have to apply months before. Its not easy to get
leave when there are emergencies.
•
There are no toilets, water, food readily available when its required as a result of which
we have ulcers and piles.
•
No emotional strings attached, irrespective of whatever their state of mind we have to
give full concentration and attention to work. Even in case of inevitable accidents we have
to be strong. We are subjected to psychometric tests during trainings.
•
Working atmosphere is a permanent deficiency. We are subjected to high temperature
and sounds. The sound we are subjected to is 80% higher than the normal hearing. There
is pupil dilation due to stress and varying light conditions.
•
Also we are continuously working in vibrating environment which is subjected to magnetic
flux for 5-6 hours, this could result in memory loss.
•
The cushioning and suspension is not so comfortable, also bending and leaning to read
signals has resulted in spinal chord related issues.
•
Smoke and dust also causes nuisance. Sitting for long hours has resulted in knee pain
•
There are 8 kinds of diesel engines and 8 kinds of electric engines. Most of us trained to
use all kinds of engines.
•
There are retiring rooms where we take breaks to sleep, eat and wait for the next shift.
•
There is continuous health check ups. Upto 45 years its once in 4 years, upto 55 years its
once in 2 years and after 55 years its once a year.
•
In case of applying sudden brakes due to accidents, minimum distance the train would
move after application of brakes varies from 500-1000m. When the train is travelling at

10. the speed of 110 km/hr, a distance of 1km is required for the train to completely suspend
its motion after application of brake.
•
After working for 23 years we have also become one among the machines.
6.1 OPERATOR - RAMESH
•
Sitting is a problem. There is a stool on which we sit for a long time hence there is back
pain. It’s difficult especially if one is old.
•
One has to peep a lot to see the signals. Especially when it is sunny, there is a lot of glare
•
My experience has helped me, guided and given me confidence to operate.
•
I have been a gauge operator, then an assistant and now a shunting engine operator.
•
No markings or color differentiation is present on the dashboard.
7 Health Concerns due to improper working conditions
7.1 FATIGUE
Through the field study its observed that poor body posture, inadequate seat support and muscle
fatigue as the body had to twist for most of the operations it is causing musculoskeletal disorders
of the spine in operators/drivers. High prevalence of back pain, early degenerative changes of the
spine, disc problems, diabetes, hypertension and piles has been consistently reported among the
loco pilots.
• Knee pain due to insufficient leg space.
•
Lack of toilets in long distant trains is one of the main reasons behind many loco pilots
having diabetics.
7.2 SOUND POLLUTION
Loco pilots like many other drivers are exposed to a lot of noise pollution. But the intensity of
sound is much high in case of a train due to the standards followed. Prolonged and excessive

11. exposure to high intensity sounds is considered a general physical and mental stressor and is
associated with a variety of occupational health disorders.
7.3 TEMPERATURE AND POLLUTION
They are exposed to high temperatures, smoke and dust from the rail engine.

13. 8 DASHBOARD COMPONENTS
WARNING INDICATORS
TRACTION
SPEED , BRAKE PRESSURE
AND LUBE OIL
INDICATORS
BATTERY
INDICATOR
LIGHT
INDICATOR
ACCELERATOR
HORNS
REVERSE
MOTION
& BRAKE
SPEED

14. EMERGENCY SWICHES USED
FOR MONITORING
CONTROL
SWITCHES
SPEED INDICATOR
LUBE OIL
BRAKE PRESSURE
INDICATOR
INDICATOR
1
2
VISIBILITY SITTING
FROM SEAT

15. 8.1 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIESEL AND ELECTRIC ENGINE IN TERMS OF ERGONOMIC FACTORS
Diesel engines
The controls and the viewing
window are in perpendicular
directions.
- The pilot has to turn his head
thru wide angles while he
looks at the controls and
while he looks at the track.
Electric Engines
Viewing window and the
controls are aligned in the
same direction.
- Hence lesser strain
for the pilot.
Communication
between the pilot &
assistant pilot
The control board separates the
pilot and assistant pilot:
- Communication between
them becomes very difficult
Driving positions
Not possible to stand and drive.
Have to sit continuously .
Window at the sides of the
engine:
- The pilot and the assistant
have to stretch their heads
outside the window to spot
signals at curves.
- Only side view of the track
There are no partitions
between the pilot and
assistant pilot. The controls
are right in front of them
- Easier
communication
Flexibility of sitting and
standing while driving
Viewing window in front of
engine at the centre
- The pilot & assistant
have full view of the
track.
- No strain for neck.
- More cognitively
sound
Accessing controls
Position of viewing
windows
Seating
Seat mostly does not have back
rest, or height adjustments. Few
have rotation
Seats have back rest and
height adjustment and
rotation. Few are foldable.
- More comfort for back

16. 9 USERSTUDY ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
Engine wheel is much heavier and harder as compared to the wheels of the coaches. Due this it
has very less shock resistance. High levels of vibration.
-
High levels of discomfort experienced by the pilots.
9.1 VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE:
During summers the temperatures become very hot inside the cab- hotter than the temperature
outside. And during the winters very cold breeze enters the engine- this happens because the the
doors are not air tight, because of which the Engine blowers suck in the air from the windows in
the cab rather than from outside. This forces air into the cab.
Working in extreme temperature affects the pilot physically and mentally- his efficiency and
performance gets affected, undoubtedly.
9.2 SOUND POLLUTION:
Loco pilots like many other drivers are exposed to a lot of noise pollution. But the intensity of
sound is much high in case of a train due to the standards followed for various reasons. The sound
they are subjected to is 80% higher than the normal hearing. Prolonged and excessive exposure to
high intensity sounds causes physical and mental stress and is associated with a variety of
occupational health disorders, including early deafness.
9.3 ACCESSIBILITY OF OPERATIONAL CONTROLS
-
Poor body posture, inadequate seat support and muscle fatigue have been described as
co-factors in the pathogenesis of musculoskeletal disorders of the spine in
operators/drivers. High prevalence of back pain, early degenerative changes of the spine
and herniated lumbar disc problems have been consistently reported among
-
The current model of loco wdp4- is designed quiet biased towards the pilot. Although
assistant loco pilot is equally held responsible for any mishaps that arise, the engine is not
designed well for him.
9.4 SEATS
-
need to be more comfortable
though they are adjustable the threads get worn out and the seat keeps sliding.
The knob for controlling the rotation also comes off after a while and the pilots “keep
dancing” on the seat
Few seats don’t have height adjustment

17. 9.5 VISIBILITY
-
Although this loco being the latest model, this too suffers from poor visibility.
The cabin is present at only one end and the pilot is expected to view thru a tiny window
at the side of the cab- the track ahead is completely hidden
Visibility of signals at curves are minimum
The assistant loco pilot suffers much more because he has to face in one direction to view
the track and has to twist his body tin the opposite direction to press the horn.
9.6 INTERPRETATION OF SIGNAL.
High cognitive load on the operator. Interpretation is dependent on the operator’s mental
alertness and involvement. Thus the safety of the system is highly dependent on the mental
alertness/ performance of the operator. The system should be designed in such a way that its
dependency on the individual performance is as minimum as possible. A more direct
communication of critical information is recommended.
9.7 COHERENCE OF WARNING SYSTEMS
Proactive decisions at emergency situations demand coherence of the warning signs. A coherent
model would reduce the cognitive load in trying to make sense of the situation in an already
panicky state. It has been observed that the Warning indicators are quiet disconnected from its
Meaning and Magnitude indicators. A manual mapping of the warning and its cause needs to be
done.

18. Recommendation: A more logical/ coherent mapping between the Warning Signals and the
cause and Magnitude indicators are recommended
9.8 POOR FEEDBACK ON OPERATIONS/ACTIONS
It was observed that for conformation/feedback of an action like turning ON a switch, the
operator mainly relies on the sound produced by that particular equipment when it works, and
no other visual conformation/feedback. For those equipments that donot produce the sound
while its working, the operator must assume that his action has be registered and that the
equipment has started functioning.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the switches be provided with visual feedback (probably lights) that
indicate the reception of the action(orange light), and the outcome of the action(green/red light
corresponding to functioning well and not functioning).
9.9 GEARS & KNOBS
-
In the new models the gears Respond Finger touch- high sensitivity , they have to be
careful, a little extra application will either male it full acceleration or fully break.
In certain models the gear lever is in the form of a “Steering Wheel”- it does not afford
“acceleration” but “direction change”- this is not a problem in normal conditions as the
drivers have got used to it, but during emergencies a more natural interface would ease
the cognitive load on the pilot and can support proactive decision making
9.10 KNOBS DETACHED
To prevent the engine to be mishandled by unauthorized users the knobs are detached from the
engine and placed there it. Or the driver carries the knobs with him when he gets out. This can
lead to many hazardous situations- If the knobs are loosely fit and if it falls down, the operator’s
attention may be diverted towards the knobs while attempting to search for it. During this period
the system’s security is compromised.
9.11 CHANGING INTERFACES
There are more than 18 types of engines that the drivers are supposed to drive. Although the
controls are the same, the location and placement of the controls vary from engine to engine.
Each driving a different engine, the driver has to adapt to the different placement- which may
take some time and effort- this aspect can reduce the response time, or induce errors when the
operator encounters an unexpected situation and has to act quickly. For eg) Some locos have
accelerator on right hand side and the break on the left hand side, and some have it vice versa.
When some emergency situation arises the driver, instead of applying the brakes might end up

19. applying the accelerator – due to the confusion created by the changing position of the controls
in different engines
9.12 UNCLEAN WORKING ENVIRONMENT
-
-
-
The viewing window in many engines have been observed to be unclean. Although the
drivers are able to all the major details through it, it is a strain for the eye to see thru the
dust/dirt. Constantly viewing thru it can cause a strain to the eyes and nerves associated
and can affect the eye sight of the operator in the long run.
The sand sacks are placed within the engine itself- it is not only a barrier to the movement
of the pilots, but it was observed the sand sacks tear and dirties the already tiny cab with
sand.
The engine components which the drivers come regularly in contact with are not cleaned
often. Their hands always get dusty and grimy.
9.13 PARALLAX ERROR
“Error in reading an instrument employing a scale and pointer because the observer's eye and
pointer are not in a line perpendicular to the plane of the scale”
-
The Pilot has to view the window ahead of him and has to turn to look the speedometer.
Since views the speedometer at an angle, he does not get accurate readings due parallax
error.
Parallax Error:

20. 9.14 INADEQUATE PROVISIONS FOR PLACING ITEMS
-
-
-
Important items like the Walkie-talkie which are a necessary part of the driving.. are not
given any provisions.
Generally they place it on the control board which poses many difficulties:
o There is an open window next to the controls, the walkie-talkie may slip and fall
out
o While taking/ placing the walkie-talkie on the control board, there is high chance
of accidentally affecting the switches/knobs nearby
o In a particular engine where the stand for the walkie-talkie was given- its
placement was such that it hit the pilot’s knee.
They use a pen and have to maintain a record and a few papers throughout the journeybasic provision for pen and paper should be provided because they are important items
and have to be maintained.
They are kept cluttered on top of the controls sometime- this increases the number of
visual elements within his area of sight and increases the strain in focusing on the meters.
Where to
Focus?

21. A Very
Important
Paper. But
no safe
place for it
9.15 NO BASIC AMENITIES
-
None of the Locos have toilets!
Loco pilots have to wait for a station to arrive to go to the toilet
They don’t have facility/table to eat properly.
Many pilots wait for the station to arrive to eat comfortably. This may not suit the health
of many as many of them suffer from diabetes and other age related issues

22. 10 CATEGORIZATION OF ISSUES
Organization Of Dashboard:
• No naming or indication of various meters
• No explicit Fuel Indicators in many Locos
• No uniform dashboard design
Operational & Signal Related
• Parallax error in viewing meters in bright sunlight
• No recon_rmation of signals and internal signal indicators
• One has to look out to view the track and the read the
signal
• High Intensity Light causes Glare while reading signals
Issues due to Improper Ergonomics of the Cabin
•
•
•
•
No leg space and Improper
Seating Excessive noise due to horns and vibration
No clear visibility of the track from the dashboard
No hand rest and Leg rest

23. PROBLEM ANAYSIS
Categorisation
of Issues/Problem areas
BrainStorming of
User Study
Design Concepts/
Proposals
Final Design
Brainstorming of User study

24. CATEGORISATION OF ISSUES/PROBLEM AREAS
Dashboard Organisation
Signal Related
ENGINE CABIN
Issues due to Improper
Ergonomics of the Cabin
Operational Issues
ENGINE CABIN
Dashboard Organisation
Signal Related
Closely Related
Operational Issues
Issues due to Improper
Ergonomics of the Cabin
In Short the entire Railway Cabin is not designed for the user who is the Locopilot and
is lacking ERGOMICS in large scale

25. Key Issues in each area
Dashboard Organisation
Improper Organisation of Controls
No naming or indication of various meters
No explicit Fuel Indicators in many Locos
Controls are scattered, unless one is experienced
its difficult to know the exact usage and Location
No uniform dashboard design
Operational & Signal Related
Parallax error in viewing meters in bright sunlight
No reconfirmation of signals and internal signal indicators
One has to look out to view the track and the read the signal
High Intensity Light causes Glare while reading signals
Issues due to Improper
Ergonomics of the Cabin
No leg space and Improper Seating
Excessive noise due to horns and vibration
No clear visibility of the track from the dashboard
No hand rest and Leg rest

26. Dim Front
Engine room lights
Light Controls
Bright Front
Dim Rear
Front Class lights
Back Class Lights
Bright Rear
Guage Lights
Engine Brakes
Emergency Controls
Coach Brake
Fuel Indicator is not there
at present. Fuel Indicator
is a requirement
Signal and Position Indicator Screen
Sound Horn:
Approaching
Gate Crossing
Approaching Signal
700m
3 mins
away
700m
3 mins
away
Send
Ack
Prepare to Stop
Prepare to find
next signal
displaying red
Live View
Crossed Signal
Position Indicators
200m
5 mins
ago
Sent
Ack
Prepare to find next signal
displaying red
Signal Indicators
Msg from Control Room
Msg from Station Master CBE:
Stop the Train Immediately- Terrorist Threat at CBE station

27. Selected Areas for Design Intervention
1. Sound Pollution
2. Communication reinforcement
3. Real time view
4. Accessible Operational systems
5. Public awareness
Sound Pollution due to Horning
Loco pilots like many other drivers are exposed to a lot of noise pollution. But the intensity of sound is much
high in case of a train due to the standards followed for various reasons. Prolonged and excessive exposure to
high intensity sounds is considered a general physical and mental stressor and is associated with a variety of
occupational health disorders.
Possible Solutions
1 Horns being operated from the signaling poles.
Railway horns are to be blown at every signal.
CAN A WAYSIDE HORN REPLACE A TRAIN HORN
2 Varying intensity of horn
As the horns are manually operated, driver must be allowed to decide on the intensity of the
horn to be blown. This helps in decreasing the noise pollution
3 Sound Proofing for engine cabins
4 Quiet zones - in which train crews are instructed not to sound their horns, except in case of emergency.
Night time quite period for people staying in colonies by the railway lines.
Communication Reinforcement
The ease with which a person can recall information impacts the level and intensity of judgment related to the
topic. In the current scenario, the communication has been Indirect. (Through Control room& Flags, except
near stations and few places where walkie-talkie is used) and One Sided – only from the control room to the
signal en-route. There is no direct acknowledgement of receiving & acting upon the signals.
Solution
It is recommended that the driver must send an acknowledgement of the signal received. Based on the
feedback the next signal can be generated, or other measures can be taken in case a driver has failed to
acknowledge it. Such an acknowledgement is necessary, because it makes accommodation for human error,
and increases the chances of avoiding a disaster that may have been caused if a signal is missed.

28. Interpretation of Signal & Retaining it in memory
Interpretation is dependent on the operator’s mental alertness and involvement. Thus the safety of the system
is highly dependent on the mental alertness/ performance of the operator. Being in an environment with extreme
physical conditions and discomfort, in addition to the added psychological pressure of the responsibility
demanded of a pilot- the pilot is rarely in relaxed and peaceful state of mind- Due to which there is a good
probability that he may misinterpret the signal at some point, or probably fail to remember the previous sign
crossed, or get confused. Thus system should be designed in such a way that its dependency on the individual
performance is as little as possible.
Solution
For this it is recommended that
- The Signal’s interpretation also be made available to the driver
- A log be maintained of the most recently crossed signal

29. - Alert/Reminder to take a particular action
Track Visibility
Many a times it is possible for the pilot to avoid an accident if he gets clear view of the track, and better even
so if he gets the information earlier. Pilots and Assistant pilots both complain of lack visibility. They have to
adopt very incontinent body postures to get a clear view of the track.
Image: Loco Pilots seating position while viewing in reverse direction
Image: Assistant drivers seating position while operating the train in running

30. Possible Solutions
1. Mirror Technology
2. On Screen Live Satellite/Schematic View of track (for long range view of the track ahead)
3. Live video of the immediate track ahead
Public Awareness
Public Awareness and creating a sense of responsibility is very important. The public need to be aware of
interpretation of the signals at the crossings and behave responsibily. Human errors could be on any side
It could be with the train operation or signal operation or with the common man.

31. Possible Solutions
Posters, Videos, Banners, Digital Displays are good methods of creating awareness among public
Focused Group Analysis
A crude design of the dashboard was made and tested on the users - ast Locopilots during the focused group
and their feedback was considered for the final design
RESULTS
Most of them were happy with the idea that one need not look outside to see ssignals and track. They
were happy that they would be able to sit inside the cabin and operate at the dashboard itself
They were also okay with the fact that the new dahboard would have space to keep some of their
important documents and bottle
They felt mere signal deatils wouldn’t help, they wanted the breaking speed indicator
on the screen which would indicate how far they are from the nearest station and when
will they have to brake to stop at the station

32. Final Design Proposals
Combining all the elments discussed above, an effort has been made to design a new dashboard
which is ergonomically as well as functionally efficient
Signal/Position Indicator
Indicators
Fuel Indicator
Space for Bottles and
Writting Pad
Horns & Lighting Controls
Walkie Talkie for Communication
Categorisation of Controls
Brakes - (Reverse, Engine Brake, Coach brakes)
On, Off Buttons
Main Controls
Accelerator (10 knotches)
Traction
Speed
Horn
Warning Controls
Engine Siren
Indicators
Lube Oil
Brake Pressure
Battery Indicator