UK: The first revenue-earning services to run under ETCS Level 2 over the Northern City Line from Finsbury Park to London’s Moorgate terminus carried passengers on November 27.
Operator Govia Thameslink Railway described the entry of the communications-based train control system into commercial operation as ‘an important first stage’ in the £1·4bn East Coast Digital Programme. This covers around 160 route-km at the southern end of the East Coast Main Line, and will ultimately see conventional lineside signals removed from much of the route.
The short Moorgate branch was selected as a pilot phase for the ETCS roll-out, in order to eliminate the life-expired signalling and mechanical train stops dating from the conversion of the former London Underground line which became part of the national rail network in the mid-1970s.
The six-car Class 717 EMUs supplied by Siemens Mobility to operate Great Northern inner suburban services from Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City and Hertford East were already fitted with ETCS onboard equipment to the Baseline 3.4.0 specifications, but are now being upgraded to the Baseline 3.6.0 standards adopted for ECDP.
‘I’m delighted for our team and I’m delighted for our passengers’, said Oliver Turner, Head of ERTMS for GTR, when revenue services began. ‘Getting to this point has been a monumental cross-industry effort. It will pave the way for the wider rollout of digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line, promising better reliability for everybody.’
The next phase of ECDP will see ETCS Level 2 deployed between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin as an overlay on the lineside signalling. This is expected to be ready for revenue service by the end of 2025, facilitating driver training for the remainder of the project.
Ed Akers, Network Rail’s Principal Programme Sponsor for ECDP, said the launch of ETCS to Moorgate was ‘a huge step forward towards a digital future where traditional “lights on sticks” are removed and technology delivers a more reliable and punctual railway. Our cross-industry partnership has learned by doing, and the experience we’ve all gained will help us progress digital transformation on the main line and beyond.’
