USA: The Short Line Training Center has added three modules to its Learning Management System which make use of virtual reality for enhanced engagement, greater safety than live training and increased accessibility for railway operators.
The courses cover Freight Car Familiarization, Locomotive Daily Inspection and Class I Airbrake Test & Inspection. Trainees can interact with the virtual environment and objects in safety, and receive feedback and guidance.
‘The Learning Management System allows for railroad employees to be trained or certified at any time, in any location’, said American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association President Chuck Baker.
‘This flexibility allows even the smallest of railroads to train employees without time away from the railroad, and the added cost of travel. The use of VR technology is a new level of interactivity for the participant, and will increase the effectiveness of the training.’
The Short Line Training Center is a collaboration between ASLRRA and Iowa Northern Railway, funded through a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure & Safety Improvement grant.
