Digital in-cab signalling has been used by passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line for the first time.<\/p>\n
The 08.05 Great Northern service to Moorgate on Monday 31 August was the first passenger train to use the new system on the main line as it was signalled out of Welwyn Garden City station.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the latest milestone for the \u00a31.4 billion Government-funded East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which will see traditional lineside signals replaced with a system that tells train drivers on an in-cab computer screen how far and how fast they can travel.<\/p>\n
Over the long term, digital signalling will deliver more efficient, more reliable and greener services. Once all trains operate with digital signalling, these benefits come through less reliance on trackside equipment and better ability to manage the response to disruption and delays. The system also makes the railway even safer as it supervises the train\u2019s speed and can bring it to a stop if needed.<\/p>\n
This first stage in the use of the European Train Control System (ETCS) on the East Coast Main Line will see Great Northern\u2019s modern Class 717 fleet transition in and out of the system when entering and leaving the Welwyn to Hitchin area. The 15-mile section has been successfully commissioned as an \u2018overlay\u2019, meaning trains can operate through it using either conventional or digital in-cab signalling, allowing drivers to be trained in the technology. More fleets and passenger services will begin using the in-cab system from 2027.<\/p>\n