How RSSB expertise helped the Elizabeth line

The Elizabeth line serves more than 40 stations and connects London to both Essex and Berkshire, and it has now been open and running for over a year. It has proved a popular line, racking up more than 4 million passengers per week. But the launch of the Elizabeth line—with its entirely new route, its newish fleet of trains, and some operational complexities—presented several unique obstacles. MTR partnered with RSSB to overcome these hurdles.

RSSB provided its expertise and guidance on issues as diverse as balancing cognitive load in drivers and producing a new Rule Book. Here are three key ways RSSB supported MTR.

Creating a new but familiar Rule Book

RSSB’s world-leading experts have set GB rail industry standards for the past 20 years, which includes producing the Rule Book used by railway staff to maintain safety standards. The unique operational requirements of the Elizabeth line demanded a comprehensive new Rule Book. However, it was critical that this new Rule Book was compatible with the main version and retain its familiarity. This would be key to ensuring its ease of use for drivers, signallers, and other operational staff. 

To achieve this, RSSB worked closely with operator MTR and other project partners to develop fresh rules but with a familiar look and feel, and they applied the format and style of the main Rule Book. This work also culminated in different outputs for different types of workers, such as 16 Central Operating Section Operating Instructions units for signallers, 14 Handbooks for track workers, and 22 Rule Book modules for a variety of operational staff.

Resolving an ETCS issue

Over the past 20 years, RSSB has delivered the first-principles engineering that defines rail standards and best practices, including the European Train Control System (ETCS). We became the natural partner when MTR and Bombardier discovered an issue affecting the ETCS of the Class 345 fleet.

If there is a failure in this system, the driver is expected to press a series of buttons in order to reset the train. However, it was found that pressing those buttons in the wrong order could result in the train moving without protection, which could pose a significant risk to staff and passengers.

The discovery of this error led to a thorough analysis by RSSB of the possible risks associated with the Class 345 fleet and how to deal with them. This turned out to be a crucial undertaking in ensuring the welfare of those on board.

Assessing key human factors risks

RSSB’s leading expertise in human factors also came into play during this collaboration. The Elizabeth line has a ‘core’, comprising the centremost stations underneath London, and it switches between automatic train operation (ATO) and conventional signalling either side of this core. This means that there is a variation in cognitive demand on drivers during the route, so there was a need to assess this and the effect it might have during these transitions.

Balancing cognitive load is key to achieving the right level of concentration and motivation. RSSB’s assessment of this possible risk factor and subsequent work with MTR will help ensure that drivers transition smoothly between ATO and conventional signalling.

If you’ve got questions, we’re already closest to the answer

RSSB is a not-for-profit owned by major rail industry stakeholders. We make our experts available on a project basis to help organisations answer technical questions that are critical to their future. Our hands-on experience and whole-industry expertise let us accurately define a project’s scope right at the start, minimising wasted effort.