Govia Thameslink Railway’s first Class 387/1 Great Northern Electrostar train has been retrofitted with the European Train Control System (ETCS) in-cab signalling as part of the East Coast Digital Programme, designed to reduce delays and give passengers a more reliable service. ETCS is the train control component of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

In 2020, Porterbrook, Siemens Mobility and Bombardier agreed a new approach to the fitment of ETCS technology onto existing Electrostar trains.

GTR claims that the Class 387 is the country’s first major commuter fleet to have the technology retrofitted, although ETCS is in use on other services, including the Cambrian Line in Wales and Class 387s on the Heathrow Express. The operator believes that the retrofitting lays the foundations for the upgrade to be applied to the rest of the UK’s Electrostar fleet, for future expansion of ETCS across other routes.

Unit 387101 was installed with the latest iteration of ETCS in the UK (BL3 R2, which is also referred to as version 3.6.0), which includes equipment that allows the in-cab signalling system to function. Each new component was tested with powered-down electrical testing to ensure correct installation of the system.

On 13 April, the train was hauled by GB Railfreight (GBRf) from Worksop to Alstom’s Litchurch Lane manufacturing site in Derby, where Train Control Management System software will be installed and the onboard ETCS system (Alstom ATLAS 3) commissioned, ready to start static testing, expected to take around five weeks.

The unit will then be taken to Network Rail‘s Rail Innovation and Development Centre (RIDC) test track at Melton Mowbray for dynamic testing. This ‘first-in-class’ unit is set to return in December 2023, after which GTR will fit the remaining 28 387/1 units at its in-house depot in Hornsey, north London.

The Government-funded East Coast Digital Programme will see traditional signals removed from the tracks on the Northern City Line to London Moorgate and the East Coast Mainline from London to Stoke Tunnels, south of Grantham. They will be replaced with state-of-the-art digital signalling technology. This will improve reliability, providing a better-performing rail service for passengers using this key route.

In-cab signalling provided by ETCS Level 2 operation supplies continual speed information and movement authority to the driver via a computer screen in the driver’s cab, rather than relying on fixed lineside signals.

The equipment installed to allow the in cab-signalling system to function included:

• a new digital driver’s dashboard
• a new Automatic Warning System (AWS) / Train Protection Waring System (TPWS) system
• Doppler radar and ETCS antennae beneath the soleplate
• a European Vital Computer – the main computer – fitted at the body end of the first carriage
• onboard ETCS software, in line with the latest revision of the ETCS standards

In addition to the Class 387s, GTR operates two further fleets of train which will eventually be run under ETCS as part of the East Coast Digital Programme:

Class 717s

• GTR’s twenty-five Great Northern Class 717 trains operate the Northern City Line, which runs from the East Coast Mainline at Finsbury Park to London Moorgate, where Network Rail has installed digital infrastructure as part of the East Coast Digital Programme.
• The trains came fitted with ETCS B3MR1 (also referred to as version 3.4.0), but GTR will be upgrading the software to 3.6.0 and, this autumn, will be testing the latest version of ETCS ahead of upgrading the software on the entire fleet early next year.
• The trains have been dynamically tested on the route and GTR has been given authorisation from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to use them in passenger service. Driver training will begin in passenger service once the infrastructure receives similar sign-off.

Class 700s

• All 115 of the Thameslink Class 700 trains, which are already fitted with ETCS, will be upgraded to the latest version of BL3 R2 (also referred to as version 3.6.0).

GTR’s ERTMS Fleet Project Manager Aaron Meakin said: “We’re delighted that our Class 387 train is the first commuter train to be retrofitted with the latest ETCS system – a key milestone for both us as GTR and the East Coast Digital Programme as we move towards digitally signalled operations on some of our key routes. We’re looking forward to seeing how it performs in static and dynamic testing in the coming months.”

Aaron Weeks, Project Director for Alstom said: “Alstom is proud to be supporting the East Coast Digital Programme and our partners at GTR and Porterbrook as they transition to a new, digital railway. It is an important project milestone for the Alstom team completing the fitment of the ATLAS equipment on the first-in-class unit. We are now looking forward to static and then dynamic testing in the coming months, which will validate the system and give us the evidence required for authorisation of the unit.”

Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor, East Coast Digital Programme, said: “The Class 387 is the largest passenger fleet requiring retrofitting for the ECDP, so the move into static testing is an important step forward in the delivery of digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line and an enabler for future deployments across the network. Collaboration across all parts of the industry is enabling progress towards the benefits this will deliver for passengers and users.”

Ben Ackroyd, Chief Operating Officer at Porterbrook, which owns GTR’s Class 387 fleet said: “This critical project plays a key role in the transition to a digital railway, enabling a more reliable service with fewer delays, improved safety and reduced costs through the removal of lineside infrastructure. We’re delighted to be playing our part in supporting Network Rail on this and commend the excellent collaboration across the industry to retrofit the UK’s first commuter train with digital ETCS in-cab signalling equipment.”