Preparing for ETCS: A focus on route knowledge requirements
Research short: ETCS is coming, and RSSB Research is working with industry to review operational standards and policies so that your teams have what they need come rollout.
Marcus CarmichaelProfessional Lead Ops and Performance Research, RSSB
In our February 2024 edition, we brought you up to speed on our research project titled ‘Defining the route knowledge requirements for operating under ETCS’. As part of that project, using the East Coast Main Line as a basis, our team reviewed the existing route knowledge requirements for drivers and considered how the European Train Control System (ETCS) might change them.
Specifically, they found that:
Some current requirements may become redundant.
Some requirements can be relaxed because the information will instead be provided to the driver by the system.
Some new requirements will be introduced as a result of ETCS.
Clearly, ETCS will mean big changes for drivers and other operations staff. But due to the nature of the ETCS project, it’s largely been led by engineering teams. This has meant that those in operational roles haven’t had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the system. The risk here is that, come wider rollout, our existing procedures may not maximise the capabilities of the system.
It’ll be important that managers and leaders are aware of how the system works and what it means for operations. Fully understanding how ETCS changes what drivers need to know will help you give your people what they need as they navigate this change.
So, if you haven’t already, it’s worth giving ‘Defining the route knowledge requirements for operating under ETCS’ a read. It contains considerations that should be made to enable a smooth, safe transition for drivers and others.
If you’d like our help implementing any of the guidance, please contact us.
Building on this, we’ll soon be launching a research project titled ‘How do professional driving policies for passenger operators change under ETCS?’ The goal is to more directly help operators prepare for wider ETCS rollout.
It will seek to understand how professional driving policies (PDPs) for passenger operators will change under ETCS. Specifically, it’ll look at:
changes to whether the driver or the system is the primary mitigation of identified operational risks (which has workload implications)
how effective current PDPs are likely to be under ETCS
how those policies may need to change to account for the new method of operation.
Ultimately, this project aims to give industry the answers it needs to optimise PDPs to preserve and improve operational safety, performance, and capacity under ETCS.
We’re also looking to update RIS-3702-TOM with some of the recommendations from our initial research.
RIS-3702-TOM is our Rail Industry Standard on the management of route knowledge. It lays out the current route knowledge requirements for driving under colour-light signalling. But it doesn’t define the requirements for driving under ETCS.
Embedding our recommendations into RIS-3702-TOM will ensure consistency in the changes to route knowledge and minimise delays in maximising ETCS’s capabilities. Importantly, it’ll also mitigate some of the complexity for drivers as they navigate this transition.
It’s one more way we’re helping members adapt to change and continue providing the best for our staff and for passengers.
Want to learn more?
Head to our Research Catalogue to catch up on the findings of ‘Defining the route knowledge requirements for operating under ETCS’.
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