New Proposals for Improvement of Train Driving Support Systems Performances

The modern railway traffic management practice increasingly implies application and development of train driving support systems. The focus of research in this area is on the impact of these systems on the efficiency of railway transport, mostly through the quality and optimization of railway timetables realization and energy efficient train driving. In this paper, an overview of the application of train driver support systems is given and their impact on the efficiency of railway traffic is analyzed. The results of the analysis showed some advantages of train driving support system application related to quality of timetable realization and energy efficient train driving but also marked possible problems related to increase of train driver workload and hence decrease of railway traffic safety. Based on this analysis, new train driving support systems functions for improvement of railway traffic efficiency are proposed. Additionally, a new proposal of systems interface design performance by using human voice for advice information transmission as an addition to displaying information on the monitor for the purpose of railway traffic safety improvement which can be reduced by increase of train driver workload and focus distraction due to application of train driving support system is suggested.