The design of modern control centres for the 21/sup st/ century - human factors and technologies

Hong Kong Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) is dealing with the design, construction and operation of West Rail, a new 30 kilometre railway line that will connect the urban Kowloon with the north-western part of the New Territories with opening scheduled for the end of year 2003. In support of the new railway line operation, new modern control centres will be incorporated in the design. The design criterion is based on understanding the fundamental operation of the railway, starting with a detailed analysis of tasks to be carried out in the various control centres. In addition, human factors are also considered in all aspects of the design. This paper presents the processes that have been adopted in designing these control centres with particular focus on the merging of the advanced technologies and ergonomic considerations into the control centre work setting.