Monday 2 Dec 2024
Further digital in-cab signalling tests completed on East Coast Main Line
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
- | Eastern: East Coast
Rail passengers are being thanked for their patience after further work to test 21st century digital signalling systems on the East Coast Main Line impacted journeys over the weekend.
The £1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme will see traditional, lineside signals replaced with continuous information displayed inside drivers’ cabs, meaning more punctual and reliable journeys for passengers in the future.
On Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December further testing of the newly installed system between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin was carried out. This required the railway to be closed in and around the affected section. The testing went well and brings the project a step closer for trains to run on this route using digital signalling from late 2025.
Ricky Barsby, Network Rail’s head of access and integration, ECDP, said:
“We completed further testing to check the new system is working well under a range of scenarios. We thank all passengers whose journeys were affected for their patience. The vital work is bringing us a step closer to a more punctual, reliable and greener East Coast Main Line.”
A spokesperson on behalf of passenger train operators said:
“Our teams worked in partnership over the weekend to keep passengers on the move and to get them to their destination as quickly as possible. We thank those passengers whose journeys were impacted for bearing with us during the changes.”
The testing will continue at various stages in the coming months, involving different trains and sets of equipment. Much of the work is done overnight, avoiding any impact on regular passenger services.
Notes to Editors
The European Train Control System (ETCS) testing on Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December involved a Grand Central Class 180 passenger train and a Great Northern Class 717 commuter train.
Digital signalling, using ETCS is a proven technology already in use in many countries in Europe and elsewhere. The ECDP 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, and now on the Northern City Line (Finsbury Park to Moorgate), in the first stage of ECDP.
For further information about the East Coast Digital Programme please visit www.eastcoastdigitalprogramme.co.uk.
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