CTA to Test Virtual Reality Rail Simulator Training
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will test a portable virtual-reality rail simulator through a one-year programme designed to give operators-in-training more hands-on experience. The simulator will provide a virtual environment for operators to practise rail operating scenarios without depending exclusively on situations encountered during service.
CTA’s Innovation Studio reviewed six proposals for simulated training opportunities for rail operators. The agency was seeking solutions that could be easily transported, provide a realistic experience of the CTA rail system, and support scenario-based training. Following the review, CTA selected a solution from the Centre for Research in Railway Technologies (CITEF), which offers a portable rail simulator for the agency’s Bombardier 5000-series railcars.
The simulator is intended to provide operators with realistic, hands-on experience in weather, construction, and emergency scenarios. These areas are among the situations that operators may encounter in their work and will be incorporated into the simulated training environment.
As part of its agreement with CITEF, CTA will provide the organisation with a stipend to develop the virtual-reality rail simulator. The system will serve as a post-initial training tool, giving rail operators additional opportunities to practise troubleshooting rare or complex scenarios. Examples identified by CTA include propulsion loss and brake faults.
The simulator will use a virtual reality headset to allow operators to view simulated rail stations and scenarios. At the same time, operators will use a real operator console. This will combine the simulated rail environment with physical operating equipment during the training sessions.
The pilot is also intended to support practice involving both standard and critical scenarios. Some critical situations cannot be replicated in revenue service, making them difficult to incorporate into routine operational training. The simulator will provide a separate setting in which operators can practise these scenarios as part of the additional training programme.
The CITEF simulator will therefore be used to provide practice beyond the initial training stage. Its focus will include situations that are rare or complex and require operators to troubleshoot operational problems. Propulsion loss and brake faults are among the specific examples identified for this additional practice.
The scenario-based approach will also cover weather, construction and emergencies. Operators will be able to view these circumstances through the virtual reality system while working with the real operator console. The simulator will consequently provide a controlled setting for practising situations identified as relevant to rail operations.
The pilot is intended to lay the groundwork for a new training model in which rail operators can practise standard and critical scenarios that cannot be replicated in revenue service. The approach will allow the agency to assess the use of a portable virtual reality system as an additional training tool while retaining the practical use of a real operator console.
CTA selected CITEF after considering six proposals against requirements for portability, a realistic representation of the CTA rail system and scenario-based training. The selected solution is designed specifically for the agency’s Bombardier 5000-series railcars, linking the simulator to CTA’s rail equipment.
The one-year programme will provide CTA with an opportunity to assess the simulator as a post-initial-training tool. Its use will include additional practice with rare or complex troubleshooting situations, as well as standard and critical scenarios that cannot be replicated in revenue service.
CTA will review and evaluate the outcomes of the pilot after the programme. The agency will use the results to determine whether a full-scale rollout of the portable virtual reality rail simulator would be beneficial.
The evaluation will therefore determine whether the simulator should move beyond the one-year pilot. Until that review is completed, the CITEF system will remain part of CTA’s test of portable virtual reality training for rail operators.
