Eye movement predictors of hazard response performance in train drivers under different speed conditions

Lu Yang ¹, Maosheng Xia ², Yusong Wang ³

⁰School of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.

Scientific Reports +

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July 5, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Train drivers

Area Of Science

Railway safety and human factors research.
Transportation engineering and cognitive science.
Visual attention and hazard perception studies.

Background

Foreign objects on railways are a significant cause of accidents.
Effective train driving depends on rapid visual hazard identification.
Increasing train speeds exacerbate the challenge of detecting track anomalies.

Purpose Of The Study

To analyze train drivers' eye movements and response performance to simulated foreign objects at various speeds.
To identify eye movement indicators predicting hazard response efficacy.
To understand how these indicators change with different train speeds.

Main Methods

Simulated foreign object encroachments on railway tracks were presented to train drivers.
Eye movement data (gaze patterns, duration) and response performance were recorded.
Data were analyzed to correlate visual attention metrics with hazard detection success across different speed conditions.

Main Results

At standard speeds, consistent attention and longer search times correlate with better hazard detection.
At higher speeds, rapid information processing is key, with shorter average gaze durations indicating superior hazard response.
A leftward attention bias was observed in drivers detecting ground-level foreign objects.

Conclusions

Effective hazard detection strategies differ between standard and high train speeds.
Eye movement patterns can predict train driver performance in hazard recognition.
Findings can inform training, track design, and foreign object detection system development.

Keywords:

Eye-movement Foreign object encroachment High speed Train drivers