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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Railroads

Examples of Well-Designed Process & Technologies

Effective design supports operator attention demands

Effective design matches product features with user needs. Attentional demands on operators require products that make important information easy to locate and recognize. Recent cab designs have  integrated multiple electronic...

User Centered Design

What is user-centered design?

 

User-centered design is a process to design tools that take user needs and requirements into account. It  includes steps to identify these needs and requirements through interviews and/or observations of the target user. Some key parts...

HSI Topic: Training

Training is another HSI domain that intersects with Human Factors Engineering and Safety.

Training is any activity that results in enabling users, operators, maintainers, leaders and support personnel, to acquire, gain or enhance knowledge, skills, and concurrently develops their...

HSI Topic: Safety

One HSI domain that intersects with Human Factors Engineering is Safety.

Safety factors consist of those system design characteristics that serve to minimize the potential for mishaps causing death or injury to operators, maintainers and supporters or threaten the survival and/or...

Human Factors Engineering

One domain of HSI that offers considerable potential to assist railroads in understanding and applying knowledge related to human performance is Human Factors Engineering (HFE). 

“Human Factors Engineering (HFE) is the discipline of applying what is known about human...

Human Systems Integration

What is HSI? And why does it matter to the rail industry? 

The rail industry is evolving rapidly. Among the changes facing the industry is the introduction of new technology in the locomotive cab, such as Positive Train Control (PTC), intended to increase safety and minimize...

Training for FRA Grants (Grantees)

Training for FRA Grants

Under the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Office of Railroad Policy and Development (RPD), the Program Delivery Office (RPD-10) is responsible for federal investment and assistance to the rail industry. RPD-10 plays an integral role in the implementation of...