Transcript Presentation - International Rail Safety Conference (IRSC)

Consideration of human factors during the
construction or modernization of a line
Summary
I- A Very Challenging Line to Operate
A. Environmental Features
B. Specific Installations
1. Bellegarde remote control centre
2. Catenary switching device
3. Catenary power supply feeder
II- Providing Human Factors Support
A. Lot 1
1. Bellegarde remote control centre
2. Catenary switching device
B. Lot 2
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I- A Very Challenging Line to Operate
Built
Closed
Renovated
1876
1990
2007- 2010
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A- Environmental Features
 Several curves of radius
below 300 m
 Risks of runaway
Source: Dossier de sécurité - Rénovation de la ligne du
Haut Bugey V3 du 10/11/2011– Annexe 02
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A- Environmental Features
 Difficult climatic conditions :
-
120 rainy days per year,
65 days of frost,
27 days of thunder,
heavy snow,
ice formation in tunnels
Risks of wheel-slip, wheel-lock,
track shift.
 Large rock walls along platforms
 Large number of detectors and
protection nets from rock falls
High risks of false alarms due to
weather conditions
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A- Environmental Features
 Numerous and imposing
 Presence along the line of 42
structures :
-
level crossings located in :
10 tunnels of different lengths,
49 railroad bridges,
5 viaducts,
-
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high traffic areas,
tourist zones,
areas of difficult track geometry
A- Environmental Features
 Central platforms including one :
-
located just at the end of a tunnel,
at a gradient of 22 ‰
and of a curve of 300 m making access to TGVs difficult,
 Boarded track crossings
 High passenger number in winter
 Numerous tourists during summer
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Risk of unauthorized
presence on tracks
B- Specific Installations
If each of these features taken
individually can be easily
handled ; once gathered
together they lead to real and
important operation and
maintenance risks including
some which are linked to
human factors.
1. A remote control centre in Bellegarde
station
2. A unique type on the French national
railway network of catenary switching
device from 1500 V dc to 25 kV ac linked to
the route in Bellegarde station
3. A rare 25 kV ac catenary power supply
feeder to be used in case of emergency
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B- Specific Installations
1- Bellegarde Remote Control Centre
 Necessity to adapt to a new mode of rail traffic control and to a new
technology
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B- Specific Installations
1- Bellegarde Remote Control Centre
An inadequate adaptation of staff to new technologies could lead to incorrect
application of procedures in case of disruption, to immobilization of trains and to the
presence of passengers on tracks.
Source: translated from Dossier de sécurité - Rénovation de
la ligne du Haut Bugey V3 du 10/11/2011– Annexe 29
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B- Specific Installations
2- Catenary Switching Device
 Linked to the route
 Remote controlled by Bellegarde remote control centre
Source: translated from Dossier de sécurité - Rénovation de la
ligne du Haut Bugey V3 du 10/11/2011
 Voltage monitored by a programmable controller
 Condition the clearing of the controlled protecting signal
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To Geneva
Area
25000 V ac
Switching
area
Area
1500 V dc
to Bourg en Bresse
Area
25000 V ac
Switching
area
Source: inspired from http://www.ligneduhautbugey.fr/
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Area
1500 V dc
B- Specific Installations
2- Catenary Switching Device
 Control / command incidents at the remote control centre could lead to :





command and control failures for the route to Haut Bugey
prolonged immobilization of trains before station platforms
passengers on tracks
train running on sight and power trip
stress for remote control centre staff
 Requires :
 training to the particular characteristics of the installation
 ability to work with many people from different disciplines and remote
Communications dysfunctions in rail traffic control predominate in the majority of incidents.
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After setting a route, the signal does not clear and the corresponding voltage indication (« KT 1500 » or « KT
25000 ») is not displayed
Bellegarde TC
SSR
Verbaly ask the SSR if voltage
indication corresponding to the
established route is displayed on his
terminal
Verify voltage indication on his terminal
Voltage indication
is displayed
Voltage indication
is not displayed
Inform Bellegarde TC
by numbered
message
Receive numbered message
from SSR
After having verified all other
conditions for clearing the signal,
authorises the passing of the stop
signal under the usual regulatory
conditions.
Receive verbal information from SSR
SSR to Bellegarde
TC: voltage indication
« TK …(1500 ou 25000)
displayed on my
terminal »
Verbally inform Bellgarde traffic controller
Source: translated from Dossier de sécurité - Rénovation
de la ligne du Haut Bugey – Annexe 29
B- Specific Installations
3- Catenary Power Supply Feeder
 To be used only in emergencies
cases
 Presents serious electrical
hazards
 Of delicate use in case of
 Requires the acquisition of
essential job skills
 accidents on the catenary
 intervention of maintenance staff
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B- Specific Installations
 Operation of the renovated
line is complicated
 Risks of incidents derive from
 train traffic controller in charge
of the remote control center,
 operators,
 maintenance staff,
 central substation staff
 drivers ...
 technical components
 organizational and human
factors
IM decided to launch a dedicated study based on human factors
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II- Providing Human Factors Support
6 months
Human
factor study
Human factors,
operation,
maintenance,
electrical installations
specialists
Implementation stage
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II- Providing Human Factors Support
Prepare local agents
for technological
change
Estimate admissible
staff workload
Expected
results
Establish process for
dealing with degraded
situations
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Develop tools for
traffic management
II- Providing Human Factors Support
Lot 1
 Control risks associated with
the catenary switching device
and catenary power supply
feeder
 By working in collaboration
with staff at the design stage
 To ensure that they had
identified and understood all
risks of dysfunctions and their
corresponding procedures
Lot 2
 Assessing the robustness of
Bellegarde remote control
centre’s planned organization
 By identifying in literature and
at similar sites, elements that
could contribute to the
reflection on the organization of
Bellegarde remote control
centre
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A- Lot 1
1. Catenary Switching Device
Issues
Understanding its operation
Defining managing procedures
of these malfunctions
Identifying possible malfunctions
related to its operation
Including these procedures in
documentation
Preparing on-site to manage
those situations
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A- Lot 1
1. Catenary Switching Device
Actions
 Study behaviour of a
single or multiple unit
vehicle in case of
accidental
immobilisation under
the catenary switching
device
 Study how staff would
deal with
programmable
controller malfunctions
Decisions
 Write a special operating procedure for
the management of train distress
scenarii under the catenary switching
section,
 Include relevant data in driver training,
 Produce documents on the conditions of
intervention on the catenary switching
device for maintenance staff
 Incorporate simulation exercises in staff
training
 Check the consistency of the documents
 Monitor the operation of the catenary
switching device / care about feedbacks
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A- Lot 1
2. Catenary Power Supply Feeder
Issues
Understanding its operation
Writing those conditions in
documentation
Defining its use and operation
conditions
Facilitating the appropriation of
the limits and conditions of use of
the catenary power supply feeder
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A- Lot 1
1. Catenary Switching Device
Actions
Decisions
 Clarify the synchronisation of
maintainers local interventions
and the repowering of the
feeder to rescue a train on the
line
 Organizing knowledge sharing
on the basis of catenary power
supply feeder instructions
 Organizing exercises to test its
use in conditions close to real
operations.
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B- Lot 2
Assessing the robustness of Bellegarde remote control
center planned organization
Issues
Preparing local staffs for the
technological change of operating
mode by training them
Developing tools for traffic
management in both normal and
deteriorated situations,
Establishing a process for
managing degraded situations
Estimating the admissible staff
workload
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B- Lot 2
Assessing the robustness of Bellegarde remote control
centre planned organization
Attention particularly paid on :
 Operation of novel installations
 Clarity and readability of
procedures,
 Documents accessibility
 Procedure consistency
 Remote control center
ergonomics
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 Alarm management,
 tools and installations
maintenance
 Competency profile
 Training
 Management
 Workload
 Team composition
B- Lot 2
Assessing the robustness of Bellegarde remote control
centre planned organization
Actions
 Identify in literature and in
the field, elements that
could contribute to the
reflection on the
organization of
Bellegarde remote control
centre.
Decisions
 Adapt Bellegarde traffic controllers’
training to their specific situation,
 Organize meetings between train
traffic controllers and players with
whom they will have to work,
 Regularly ensure rotation between
the old and the new control centre,
 Adapt the ergonomics of Bellegarde
remote control centre.
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Conclusion
Complexity
of railway
sector
Since 2010 no accident related to :
Increase
of risks
Necessity of
taking into
account human
factors
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-
specific installations
-
new technologies
-
communications dysfunctions
Thank you