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Monday 27 Jul 2015

Deal signed to help provide more frequent, reliable trains and better customer information on cross-London commuter route

Region & Route:

| Southern

Passengers on some of the busiest commuter lines in the country can look forward to more frequent and more reliable trains following a deal to provide new traffic management technology on the Thameslink route through central London.

Network Rail and the Thameslink Programme have signed a contract with Hitachi Rail Europe to deliver a step-change in technology through state-of-the-art traffic management technology.

The new system will enable 24 trains per hour to run reliably through central London in each direction by 2018, allowing the Thameslink Programme to fulfil its ambition of revolutionising north-south travel through the capital.

In addition, the system will provide a real time flow of passenger information – crucial for today’s connected customers.

Rail Minster Claire Perry said: “We are investing in the Thameslink Programme because it will transform rail travel for customers in London and the south east, providing more seats and quicker journeys. It will also create thousands of jobs, making it a vital part of our long-term economic plan.

“Today’s announcement isn’t just about new technology, it’s a key way to improve customer journeys, by increasing reliability and making sure they have the right information at the right time. We have seen huge growth in the number of people travelling by train and this investment will play a key role in keeping those customers moving  safely, reliably and comfortably.”

Thameslink Programme director Simon Blanchflower said: “Providing a frequent and reliable service through the heart of the city to a host of new destinations will only be possible thanks to this technology.

“Traffic management technology will provide extra guidance to our signallers and work with in-cab signalling and automatic train operation to deliver 24 trains per hour between London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. It will also improve the time it takes the railway to recover from delays and deliver enhanced customer information, to improve performance and passengers’ experience of our railway.”

Karen Boswell, managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Hitachi Rail in the UK, following on the back of the Class 395 high speed trains in 2009, the InterCity Express Programme (IEP) contract in July 2012 and Abellio’s ScotRail contract signed in March this year.  

“Hitachi Rail is determined to strengthen its railway-related business in the UK and I look forward to working with Network Rail to deploy our proven Traffic Management System, which will bring significant benefits to rail commuters.”

Network Rail’s core Thameslink contract with Hitachi Rail Europe covers a distance equal to 20 minutes’ travel time on either end of the central section between Blackfriars and St Pancras International. In addition, the contract includes options to expand the scope to cover the whole of the Brighton Main Line and part of the East Coast Main Line.

Traffic Management systems are used extensively in Japan, notably on the high-speed Shinkansen lines and busy commuter railways.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Technical scope of the project will be delivered by Hitachi Information Control Systems Europe Ltd, a new organisation that will bring together the products and experience of UK technology company TRE, with those of the parent company’s Information & Telecommunications Systems and Infrastructure Systems Divisions – this includes simulators, automatic routing systems and the Tranista Traffic Management Platform.

Q&A

How much is the contract for?

The Core Thameslink contract is for £24m, with further costed options that may be taken up in future.

What is Traffic Management?

It’s a software and hardware package that provides assistance to signallers and controllers to help improve the efficiency and reliability of our railway. In essence, it is like an omnipotent and computerised Fat Controller. It looks at where all the trains are in an area and then predicts where they will be in the future, so the signaller can make informed decisions to make sure that trains arrive in the right place at the right time.

It also offers a simulation function – usually called “plan/re-plan” - to allow signallers to test their hypotheses. Viz:  “If I hold train A here at East Croydon, what will the effects on Trains B and C be?”

In normal service, the traffic management software “talks” to the actual signalling system and can run it automatically, with the signaller overseeing it, much like a human pilot would do with an automatic pilot. That way instead of spending his or her time pulling levers, pushing buttons and dealing with the mechanics of moving trains around, the signaller can focus on the strategy and running a better railway.

What will it do for Thameslink - technically?

       It will provide cross industry information to allow the operators to co-ordinate their business.

• It includes interfaces to customer information system DARWIN, to allow the update of information directly from Traffic Management
• It includes interfaces to C-DAS (Connected Driver Advisory System) to support the Thameslink services.
• It supplies service information to selected platforms to provide on-station information.
• The re-planning system will allow improvement of the timetable and co-ordination of services across London, North to South.
• In addition the system will support Automatic Train Operation over ETCS (cab signalling).

About the Thameslink Programme

The Thameslink Programme will transform north-south travel through London. When complete in 2018 it will give passengers:
• New, spacious trains running every 2 to 3 minutes through central London in the peak
• Improved connections and better options to more destinations on an expanded Thameslink network including Cambridge and Peterborough
• Robust new track and signalling systems offer more reliable journeys
• A completely rebuilt London Bridge station with more space and great facilities

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society’s challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal 2014 (ended March 31, 2015) totalled 9,761 billion yen ($81.3 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

About Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd.

Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Europe, Ltd. and is headquartered in London, UK.
Hitachi Rail Europe is a total railway system supplier offering rolling stock, traction equipment, signalling, traffic management systems and maintenance depots.
Hitachi draws on many years of experience as a leading supplier of high-speed trains such as the Shinkansen (bullet train) for the Japanese and international markets. In Europe, Hitachi Rail Europe’s first rolling stock contract was to deliver a fleet of 29 Class 395 trains, the first domestic high-speed train in the UK, which are maintained at Hitachi’s state-of-the-art depot in Ashford, Kent. As part of the British Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme, Hitachi Rail Europe will replace the UK’s fleet of intercity trains, and will establish a new rolling stock manufacturing facility in Newton Aycliffe, UK for this purpose. The trains will be maintained and serviced in a number of new maintenance depots along the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line.
For more information about the company, please visit: www.Hitachirail-eu.com .

 

About TRE

TRE (The Railway Engineering Company Limited) is a UK-based provider of software products for railway signalling and operations, including simulators and automatic route setting systems. TRE was acquired by Hitachi Ltd in December 2012.

For more information about the company, please visit: www.trerail.co.uk.