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United Kingdom-based passenger-rail operator First Great Western recently began using a train simulator as part of its training program.

Using Bentley Systems Inc. software, the simulator places drivers in a virtual environment that represents real-world rail infrastructure and terrain. The train cab replica looks and feels like the real thing, surrounding train operators with the sounds and physical sensations of a train in motion, and three-dimensional video images.

The simulator covers 500 miles of track and 700 signals set in the type of terrain found between London and southwest England. Controls, indicators and safety warning systems are reproduced in the simulator, which can recreate weather hazards, infrastructure problems, mechanical failures and other scenarios. The software enables instructors to create new scenarios.