Streetcar simulators to help De Lijn drivers in training

Flemish public transport company De Lijn is now deploying two advanced simulators during basic training for tram drivers. “This way, our people learn in a safe environment how to deal with numerous obstacles they may encounter on the road,” says the transport company, which trains some 200 streetcar drivers annually.

The simulator looks just like the cockpit of a streetcar, with the same control panels and a real driver’s seat. The environment is also faithfully recreated on the big screens, which total ten — five screens that form the cockpit and five that simulate the environment.

Simulating all scenarios

“It involves 100 km of our tram network: 25 km in Ghent and 50 in Antwerp plus 25 km along the coast,” says De Lijn’s zonal operations manager Jan D’hooge about the simulators, one of which is in Bruges and the other in Antwerp.

The simulators allow different situations to be simulated, such as a pile of sand on the tracks, heavy snow, a car suddenly crossing the tracks, or a pedestrian suddenly appearing. They also include some complex points, such as the Korenmarkt in Ghent or the sea lock in Zeebrugge. Each time, the instructor programs different situations for the student in the simulator, while others can observe the exercise on a screen.

Design by Transurb

The simulators, which should make streetcar driving more efficient and safer, are part of the basic training for tram drivers. Still, they will eventually also be used for in-service training and training technicians and dispatchers, for example.

The Belgian company Transurb, with the John Cockerill Group (92%) and the Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB (8%) as shareholders, designed and constructed the simulators. A third simulator is on order, and the purchase has a budget of 1.5 million euros.