Institute of Transportation, MOTC

       Railway has long been responsible for the important mission of transportation across Taiwan. However, railway transportation services cover both long-distance intercity transportation and short-distance commuting. The demand for railway transportation continues throughout the year, and the transportation provides both passenger transport and freight transport. In addition, the types and combinations of train services are extremely complex, which puts train drivers at risk of driving fatigue. Through in-depth interviews and questionnaire surveys on train drivers, this research explored the fatigue problems and fatigue management practices of train drivers and establishes a fatigue management mechanism for train drivers. The research results show that fatigue is indeed widespread among train drivers, however, Taiwan Railways Administration actively improves fatigue and strictly abides by the Labor Standards Act for driver scheduling. The fatigue problem of train drivers is not very serious at present. Among them, the work shift itself is the main cause of fatigue. Due to the difference in task characteristics, the fatigue degree of train drivers in different locomotive depots is also different. In the future, consensus and cognitive culture of “Train Drivers’ Safety First” should be established with effort. In addition, continuous reviews and feedback to ensure the operation of various fatigue management measures are the keys to the success of the fatigue management mechanism.