Safety risk and human error-the west coast route modernisation

The West Coast Main Line links London with the major conurbation of the West Midlands and that of the North West running onto Scotland. The route, refurbished last in the 1960´s, is to be upgraded over the next decade to bring the infrastructure up to modern standards, forming a railway for high-speed tilting trains. Some of the technology will be established proven systems, some will be novel and exciting. Three primary goals have been set: increased operating capacity, improved journey times, and improved reliability. Within this major workload is the awareness that understanding the issues associated with human performance and reliability will be vital to reach the goals set. This paper is about system design and the integration of the human from a safety risk perspective. It is about the correct first steps in achieving a holistic view of human and system, performance and reliability