Railway safety under increasing speed: Train drivers' hazard perception of foreign object intrusion on railway tracks

Foreign object intrusion on railway tracks poses a significant safety threat to train operations. In this study, we investigate the impact of train operating speed on drivers' hazard perception (HP). For this purpose, we developed a hazard perception test (HPT) system, simulating scenarios of foreign object intrusion on railway tracks using high-fidelity computer animation techniques. Thirty certified participants, who had passed the train driver psychological qualification test, participated in the HPT across four speed classes: 120 km/h, 160 km/h, 250 km/h, and 350 km/h, the maximum speeds of the levels 0-3 of the Chinese Train Control System in service. The analysis revealed that as speed increases, there is a significant decrease in HP response time, an intensification of visual tunneling, and a significant reduction in the leftward bias of visuospatial attention. These results highlight the critical role of speed in influencing HP and carry significant implications for the deployment of assistive technological systems for hazard detection and the enhancement of train design, especially in the context of high-speed railways.