United States Department of Transportation
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Understanding how train dispatchers manage and control trains : results of a cognitive task analysis
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2001-05-01
[PDF-890.42 KB]
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Edition:Final Report April 1998 - December 1998
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Abstract:This report documents the results of a Cognitive Task Analysis that examined how experienced railroad dispatchers manage and
schedule trains in today’s environment. The objective was to understand the cognitive demands placed on railroad dispatchers and
the strategies that experienced dispatchers have developed in response to those demands, as an input to guide development and
design of digital communication systems and advanced information displays. A hybrid methodology was used that combined field
observations at two railroad dispatch centers (one that primarily handles passenger trains and one that primarily handles freight
trains) with structured interviews of experienced railroad dispatchers.
The results reveal that dispatching is a cognitively demanding task. Dispatchers have developed a variety of strategies that smooth
the way for trains to pass through territories safely and efficiently and satisfy the multiple demands placed on track use. These
include techniques to off-load memory requirements, extract information about train movement and track activity to support
anticipation and planning, take advantage of windows of opportunity to satisfy the multiple demands placed on track use, and level
workload. Many of these strategies depend heavily on communication and coordination among individuals distributed across time
and space.
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