Lat Monday, 11 December, services on Great Northern’s Northern City Line (NCL) between Finsbury Park and Moorgate were controlled by digital signalling marking the first phase in the £1.4bn East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP).

Rail Minister Huw Merriman travelled in the cab of the 10.07 Finsbury Park to Moorgate service to see the technology at first-hand, before visiting Great Northern’s Hornsey depot to view the simulator facilities where its drivers will be trained on the Electronic Train Control System (ETCS).

As the ECDP is progressively deployed, the traditional signalling system will be replaced by technology in drivers’ cabs, which will result in more reliable and punctual services. Before the operational rollout of ETCS, intensive periods of testing had to be undertaken and a series of regulatory approvals obtained.

During the last year, the deployment of the ECDP has included:

• installation of new equipment and technology between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin, which will ETCS services to operate on the East Coast Main Line in Phase Two of the programme;
• retrofitting ETCS to the first of the freight trains that will be used on the line;
• retrofitting the first ‘Electrostar‘ commuter train that operate on the route;
• awarding a contract to upgrade Siemens Class 700 trains to the latest version of ETCS; which is a pre-requisite for rolling out digital signalling on other key routes such as the the Brighton and Midland Main Lines;
• delivering a large number of ‘full cab’ and desktop-based driver simulators with digital signalling capability so that 3,000 train drivers can be trained to drive with digital signalling.

Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: “This achievement marks a significant milestone in this Government’s ambitious £1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme, which is paving the way for a safer and more reliable network for millions of passengers.

“We are committed to investing in infrastructure and modernising all aspects of our railways. This is a huge step towards doing that, building the skills of thousands of drivers and replacing Victorian infrastructure across the country with new cutting-edge technology to futureproof the network.”

Toufic Machnouk, Network Rail’s Director, Industry Partnership for Digital Railway, said: “Digital signalling will enable a more reliable, and more capable and resilient railway. The Northern City Line is a vital ‘pathfinder’ project, not just for the ECDP, but for the wider deployment of the digital signalling masterplan across the network. It is showing the value of our collaborative cross industry delivery model, and we are ‘learning by doing’ as it progresses.”

Keith Jipps, Infrastructure Director at GTR, said: “Switching on ETCS digital signalling on our Great Northern Moorgate services was a fantastic moment for our customers, who can look forward to improved reliability, as well as the industry project team because this paves the way for its wider roll-out on the vital artery of the East Coast Main Line. We can now press ahead with training our drivers in the cutting-edge technology.”

Ben Lane, Siemens Mobility’s Project Director for ECDP, said: “Having the Rail Minister join us is testament to the importance of the project to the industry and the magnitude of running trains in ETCS on the Northern City Line. Collaborating with GTR and Network Rail has allowed us to effectively implement Siemens Mobility’s skills and technology to achieve this fantastic milestone.”