DCA’s cab design process featured by Modern Railways

In this article, Modern Railways discusses DCA’s seven-step approach to integrating Human Factors thinking into the design of train cabs.

We first formalised this approach during our work with Hitachi Rail Europe on the Class 800/801 trains and have since applied a similar methodology to the Class 385 cab for Abellio ScotRail.

In both cases an early engagement with drivers was crucial. This engagement was built around a series of increasingly representative cab and desk mock-ups. As the project progressed and the cab design became gradually more resolved, so the fidelity of the mock-ups also increased, until the final design sign-off was achieved against a representative full-sized interior and exterior mock-up.

• Link to Modern Railways article (pdf)