Tuesday 29 Aug 2023
East Coast Digital Programme progresses further upgrade work
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
Billion-pound plans to enhance rail travel to and from London have progressed further with digital upgrade work that took place over the Bank Holiday weekend.
The East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) will result in a more reliable railway thanks to digital signalling being introduced. Signalling information will be fed directly to a screen in the train driver’s cab, replacing traditional lineside signals.
On Sunday 27 August, new technology was installed between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin in Hertfordshire in preparation for digital signalling. This includes new equipment to detect the location of trains and enable constant communication between trains and signalling control.
Peterborough’s power signal box has also been closed, with local signalling control having now moved to the new Service Delivery Centre (SDC) in York’s modern Rail Operating Centre, allowing for trains to move more efficiently across junctions and to reduce delays. The SDC will bring operations and signalling staff together in the same room, boosting collaboration and helping manage incidents more readily.
Ricky Barsby, Network Rail’s Head of Access and Integration for East Coast Digital Programme, said:
“The work done this weekend in Hertfordshire and Peterborough provides another step forward to a digital East Coast railway that is more reliable and greener. I thank passengers for their patience while we carried out this important work over a Bank Holiday weekend.”
A spokesperson on behalf of train operators, said:
“We would like to thank all our passengers for their patience while this upgrade work was carried out. We appreciate that some journeys will have taken longer than normal to be completed, but the work will help prepare for a digital future with more reliable services”.
Notes to Editors
Notes to Editors
Digital signalling, using the European Train Control System (ETCS), is a proven technology already in use in many countries in Europe and elsewhere. The East Coast Digital Programme will see the first introduction of ETCS to an intercity mainline in Great Britain, and will provide the foundation for the future expansion of digital signalling across the network. ETCS is currently in use in the central London section of Thameslink and on the Cambrian Line in Wales.
For further information about ECDP please visit www.nextgenerationrailway.co.uk
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