ABSTRACT
Automatic train control is used for train protection in Scandinavia. ATP equipment serves safety purposes by preventing accidents resulting from train drivers’ misperception of railside signals. The Scandinavian experience of automatic train control for train protection is generally positive but on some occasions inappropriate driver actions have been reported and the possibility that automatic train control might influence driver behaviour in a negative way has caused some debate. This paper presents a behavioural approach to automatic train control with a focus on conditions for man-machine interaction with ATP-equipment based on intermittent information transmission. The model-based analysis of automation problems first proposed by W.A. Wagenaar is discussed as possible tool for describing both the function of the human operator and the automatic equipment and the interaction between those two system components.
