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Yesterday, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced plans to install an advanced train simulator at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems in Cambridge, Mass.
 
The equipment will enable researchers to simulate various conditions and scenarios encountered during railroad operations to help identify safety problems and develop solutions.

Built by Alion Science and Technology, the $1.6 million Cab Technology Integration Laboratory (CTIL) is a full-sized locomotive simulator designed to accurately depict a train crew’s behavior through the use of video, audio and eye-tracking technologies. In addition, the CITL features modeling and visualization tools to optimize the physical design and configuration of locomotive cabs to enhance crew performance.

FRA officials plan to use the simulator as a laboratory to analyze human factors associated with freight and passenger train accidents, injuries and fatalities. The CITL will help evaluate the safety and reliability of new locomotive technology systems, controls and displays prior to their adoption by the rail industry, FRA officials said in a prepared statement.