Human centered scheduling and rostering for railway crew
Train drivers and conductors are a vital link in the execution of the train timetable. When these employees stop working, for example during a strike, many people are affected by this. Rosters of train crew are characterized, among other things, by irregular and sometimes unpredictable working hours, which affects the job satisfaction and well-being of the train crew.
To increase the satisfaction of train crew, ensuring stable and attractive rosters is of importance. This research focuses on roster development through algorithms that do not only take into account operational requirements, but also prioritize the preferences and satisfaction of crew members.
Roster satisfaction
A great deal of research has already been done on algorithms for rostering in various sectors, such as healthcare (for example for nurses) and public transport (for example for bus drivers). In many of these studies, the problem is approached purely from an algorithmic perspective, based on operational requirements. The experience of the staff executing the rosters often receive little to no attention. As a result, the developed algorithms are not always used in practice. Therefore, creating rosters is often still done manually, which is time-consuming and does not always result in optimal results for both employers and employees.
In this project, we highlight the human perspective. We do this by gathering data through interviews and surveys with crew members. As such, we hope to get insights into which factors influence roster satisfaction. Next, these insights will be incorporated into the development of the algorithms, next to the operational requirements. The generated rosters are then evaluated by the crew members. Hopefully, this approach contributes not only to the practical use of rostering algorithms, but also results in more attractive schedules for train crew.
Researcher
Veerle van den Hurk
Academic supervisor
- Dr. ir. Marjan van den Akker
- Prof.dr. Egon van den Broek
Grant funding agency and (co-)funding non-academic partners
Nederlandse Spoorwegen