Recent researches of human science on railway systems

Abstract

This paper presents recent researches of human science on railway systems at RTRI. They are roughly divided into two categories: researches to improve safety and those to improve comfort. On the former subject, for the safeguard against accidents caused by human errors, we have promoted studies of psychological aptitude test, various researches to evaluate train drivers' working conditions and environments, and new investigations to minimize the risk of passenger casualties at train accidents. On the latter subject, we have developed new methods to evaluate the riding comfort including that of tilt train, and started researches on the improvement of railway facilities for the aged and the disabled from the viewpoint of Universal Design.