Impact of automated systems on reducing the human factor in rail transport

Abstract

In the last 5 years, the role of rail transport has grown a lot within the European Union. It is the most environmentally friendly and safest transport, transports a huge amount of cargo and passengers over short and long distances, and employs thousands of people. There is a shortage of trained personnel in all European countries. The human factor is still leading in all activities in railway transport. This leads to wrong ones that are the result of accumulated fatigue, distraction, delayed reactions, incorrect reading of signals, etc. Digitalization in rail transport aims to increase its safety and reliability. This article reviews the impact of automated systems to reduce human error. The advantages and disadvantages of modern technologies used for this purpose are analyzed. Different types of process automations are presented - semi-automatic and automatic. The challenges accompanying the implementation process are considered, such as high cost, infrastructure modernization and cybersecurity. Automated systems are not aimed at completely replacing people, but at supporting and controlling processes. The future of rail transport is impossible without the deployment of intelligent and automated systems.