Great Western Coffee Shop

Well, I have had a watch of some of it and my analysis is that in no uncertain terms the industry is damming of the DfT and NR approach to current infrastructure and train investment.  The industry is basically saying that it can do a better (cheaper) job if DfT/NR produced high level specification requirements and let the industry deliver and run it for a number of years (10-20).  They are also calling for the integration of train/track.

More watching to do (its a long session :P).

Well they might well say that, but what evidence is there that they can do any better?  After all TOCs make franchise bids and one or two recently have lost a lot of money and broken the contract.

Thousands of hours in delays to be saved as UK’s first mainline digital railway introduced

The East Coast Main Line is set to become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350 million of new investment to install state-of-the art electronic signalling designed to cut journey times and slash delays.

This huge cash injection – on top of £1.2 billion already earmarked to upgrade one of the country’s most important rail arteries – will fund the replacement of conventional signalling with a digital system that allows trains to talk to the track. This will smooth the flow of trains, make journeys safer and reduce signal failures that every year result in thousands of hours of delays.

The upgrading of the line is just one element of the government’s plan for a 21st century rail network that will help spread prosperity to all parts of the country. A third of the United Kingdom’s population lives within 20 minutes of an East Coast Mainline station and together they produce 41% of GDP.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has accelerated the roll-out of digital signalling to speed up Britain’s economic recovery as we climb out of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s part of a wider national plan aimed at introducing digital signalling on to the entire rail network in Great Britain.

The new technology allows signallers to know exactly where each train is at every minute of every journey. The East Coast Main Line is a mixed-use railway, with trains of different sizes and speeds, both passenger and freight, all using the same tracks. This smart signalling recognises these different trains, allowing train and track to talk to each other continuously in real-time. This ‘in-cab’ system will mean an end to conventional signalling at the side of tracks – first used in the Victorian era.

The introduction of digital signalling is also set to create high-skilled jobs across the supply chain, helping boost the economy as the country builds out of COVID-19.

More than 80 million journeys are made each year on the East Coast Main Line, linking London with Edinburgh, with congestion on the route compounded by signalling nearing the end of its useful life. The upgrade, between London King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel in Lincolnshire, will ensure that more travellers reach their destinations on time. Delays in the south of the route have a knock-on effect further north, so the modernisation work will make life easier for people along the entire length of this vital national asset.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

As the country recovers from COVID-19 we want to speed up our economy and reap the benefits of new transport technology. The Victorians gave us the world’s first great rail network and now it’s our turn to be modern transport pioneers and build on that great tradition.

Upgrading this country’s conventional signalling system, and giving drivers technology fit for the 21st century, will boost train performance, cut delays, improve safety and support the supply chain.

This is just the beginning. In time, we will digitise signalling right across the country to make good on our promise of better reliability and punctuality for passengers.

Passengers shouldn’t have to worry about missing connections or being late home to see their children, and I’ve been clear that getting the trains to run on time is a personal priority.

Today’s funding comes on top of the government’s investment of £1.2 billion between 2014 and 2024 to improve passenger journeys on the East Coast Main Line, creating capacity for up to 10,000 extra seats a day on long-distance services, speeding up journeys and improving reliability for passengers.

Development work is already underway with Network Rail to roll out digital signalling on further routes including sections of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and Anglia from 2026, leading to safer, more reliable, more resilient railways. The government also announced today that £12 million is being invested in fitting out 33 new trains for the Midland Main Line with digital signalling equipment.

Toufic Machnouk, Programme Director of the East Coast Digital Programme, said:

Today’s announcement is a big step towards transforming the network for the millions of passengers that use the East Coast Main Line and a welcome endorsement of the partnership approach that the rail industry has adopted to deliver Britain’s first inter-city digital railway. The funding detailed by the Secretary of State is very significant and will enable the vital building blocks needed to build a modern, right time railway.

David Horne, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) Managing Director and Chair of the East Coast Digital Programme’s Industry Steering Board said:

After LNER and other operators on the East Coast successfully introduced brand new fleets, in-cab signalling will be the next exciting step we take to maximise the benefits of the technology that Azuma and all the trains on this route offer. This investment is good news for all customers, who will see even more improvements in services, reliability and sustainability.

Will Rogers, Managing Director of East Midlands Railway, said:

This vital signal investment is great news for the Midland Mainline and all the passengers we serve. Our new state of the art bi-mode trains will now come into service during 2023 with digital signalling technology ready to take advantage of the greater efficiency and flexibility this route upgrade will offer.

I'm intrigued by the description that trains will be able to talk to the track. Although I suppose Thomas and his friends have been doing it for years, so maybe I shouldn't be.

The announcement that £12m is being spent on equipping 33 new EMT trains for digital signalling is also a bit of a revelation. So that's £360k per train. Presumably it costs less as the trains are new. How much extra will it be to retrofit older trains.

At that rate, how much will it cost to equip the majority of the fleet, assuming the plan is to eventually roll this out over most of the network? Feels like a lot to me. 

Wont Cross country trains, local services using the route and freight locomotives also have to be so equipped?

Depends which level of (E)TCS they (eventually) decide to go for. Its not mentioned in the DfT announcement. If its going to be a real 'Digital Railway' then it will be Level 3 which completely abolishes all trackside equipment, but then all traction units using the line will need to be fitted, highly unlikely.  It will most likely be Level 2 which retains existing trackside train detection systems, but for fitted traction passes the movement authorities to the cab, but can retain lineside signals/signs if needed for non-fitted traction.  Thats how the current HS1/THAMESLINK works (i.e. conventional signals on the outer shared sections but cab display authorities in the core section with fixed block signage for other non-fitted traction use).

Friday 20 Mar 2020
Britain’s first digital railway takes major step forward as funding and partners announced

Network Rail has confirmed Siemens Mobility Limited and Atkins as its partners in a major programme to introduce in-cab signalling on the southern section of the East Coast Main Line – a scheme that will reduce passenger delays by thousands of hours.

The partners will play a critical role in delivering the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP). The first £350 million investment in the ECDP by the government is already being used to begin the introduction of real-time digital signalling on the route, and lay the foundations for wider national roll-out.

The ECDP will be the first intercity digital railway in the UK, fitting trains with the latest in-cab signalling technology and removing the old lineside signals. It will mean that signallers will be able to talk to trains continuously rather than only at fixed points, instructing and responding in real time and reducing delays and significantly improving performance.
...

This appeared in the Railway Magazine un March 2018
https://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/4797/etcs-in-cab-signalling-for-750-uk-freight-locomotives/

£1 billion technology investment to bring railway into 21st century

New funding for a more reliable and sustainable rail network.

• government makes £1 billion digital signalling investment on one of UK’s busiest rail routes
• will deliver safer, more reliable and more resilient services on East Coast Main Line
• new technology will mean fewer delays while creating around 5,000 jobs

More than £1 billion of government funding will be used to replace outdated Victorian infrastructure with cutting edge digital signalling technology.

One-third of the nation’s population live within 20 minutes of a station on the East Coast Main Line and, together, produce more than 40% of the UK’s GDP, making it one of the UK’s busiest rail routes while also playing a vital role in the prosperity of the nation’s economy.

The technology, which will be rolled out across the entire southern section of the line – from London’s King’s Cross to Stoke Tunnels, just south of Grantham – will mean faster, safer and more regular trains for millions of people.
...
The funding will remove outdated lineside signalling and replace it with the European train control system (ETCS), which brings signalling into train drivers’ cabs and provides them with real-time, continuous information throughout their journey.

The new in-cab technology will create a more responsive, more resilient railway and, crucially for passengers, one that can recover quicker when journeys don’t go to plan. Most importantly, as the system will constantly monitor the train’s speed, it will also create a safer railway.
...
The ECDP follows more than £350 million of prior investment to fit other services on the route with the new technology, with over 80% of passenger rolling stock on the East Coast Mainline South already using the ETCS.

Network Rail will prioritise the request for a further investment of £427 million as part of the next control period settlement, bringing the overall investment to just under £2 billion.

ETCS testing for UK Network Rail New Measurement Train

Network Rail has successfully completed European Train Control System testing on the power cars of its New Measurement Train. The yellow-liveried engineering inspection train, adapted from a redundant formation of the diesel-powered ‘High Speed Train’, is hauled by a pair of power cars, designated class 43. In its original formation, the HST design holds the record for the fastest diesel-powered train produced.

The digital upgrade to the East Coast Main Line has taken a significant step forward. A milestone has been achieved with the successful completion of testing with digital signalling for Class 43 power cars. European Train Control System (ETCS) in cab signalling technology enables a more reliable service with reduced delays, improved safety and reduced costs and emissions through the removal of lineside infrastructure. The installation and testing forms part of the Government funded East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP).

First in Class design

The successful testing programme at Network Rail’s recently upgraded Rail Innovation and Development Centre (RIDC) now enables commissioning of the relevant Class 43 power cars into ETCS Level-NTC (National Train Control) level.  Using the RIDC facilities, recently upgraded for ETCS testing, enables progression to Level-NTC without the need for any passenger disruption through track possessions.

Porterbrook, the lead Rolling Stock leasing company (ROSCO) for the Class 43 power cars, managed the project on behalf of the rail industry under instruction from Network Rail. Engineering specialists Thales was awarded the contract to carry out the ‘First in Class’ design and fitment project, and the completion of testing at RIDC marks the first time that the Thales On-Board System has been successfully fitted in the UK.