UK freight trains to be upgraded with European Train Control Systems

Network Rail has contracted Siemens Rail Automation to install European Train Control System (ETCS) in-cab signalling on 750 of the UK's heaviest locomotives to improve safety and provide better use of the network with plans to retrofit the entire fleet in 2022. This technology forms part of the country's Digital Railway programme, and the government has invested £450m ($602m) as part of its National Productivity Fund. For the first phase, Siemens will install its Trainguard 200 (T200) ETCS on-board
December 20, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
5021 Network Rail has contracted Siemens Rail Automation to install European Train Control System (ETCS) in-cab signalling on 750 of the UK's heaviest locomotives to improve safety and provide better use of the network with plans to retrofit the entire fleet in 2022. This technology forms part of the country's %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external Digital Railway programme Digital Railway website link false http://digitalrailway.co.uk/ false false%>, and the government has invested £450m ($602m) as part of its National Productivity Fund.

For the first phase, Siemens will install its Trainguard 200 (T200) ETCS on-board solution, with its Level 2, Baseline 3 system on freight locomotives which operate across the county. It will work with Network Rail and the six Freight Operating Companies.

ETCS is designed with the intention of ensuring trains operate within safe limits and speeds. The system permits the driver to operate the train and comes with on-board equipment that can take control should it go over or be in danger of exceeding the limit. T200 comes with fall-back odometry and radar configuration as well as an Automatic Warning System and a Train Protection functionality integrated into the ETCS driver display.

Siemens and Network Rail will support Freight Operating Companies by training around 2,400 drivers on how to use the solution.

Chris Grayling, secretary of state for Transport said: “We are making the biggest investment in the railways since Victorian times and this includes £450m for integrating digital technology on our railways. This technology has huge potential to improve journeys for passengers and to boost our freight industry by cutting delays and increasing the number of services. Today is an important step towards our future as a digital railway that is fit for the 21st century."

More information is available on the %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external website Network Rail Website link false https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/freight-trains-in-britain-to-be-upgraded-with-delay-busting-digital-technology-in-multi-million-pound-deal false false%>.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Aptiv opens technical centre in Las Vegas
    December 19, 2018
    Aptiv has opened a technical centre in Las Vegas, US, to gather insights on its fleet of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and to improve safety operator training. Aptiv says its AVs are supporting more than 1,600 destinations across Clark County and the city, including entertainment venues such as the Las Vegas Convention Center and City Hall. In May, Aptiv launched 30 AVs in the city to pick up riders using Lyft’s app and network. The new, 130,000 square-foot technical centre will facilitate vehicle opera
    Read More
  • BESTFACT: Best practices for freight
    February 11, 2016
    The four-year Best Practice Factory for Freight Transport (BESTFACT) project collected, developed, evaluated and disseminated innovative ideas for city logistics, green logistics, co-modality and e-freight, has closed. A new handbook, which includes 157 sustainable best practice examples from across Europe, is now available. The aim of the project is to help reduce negative environmental effects, improve transport execution efficiency and present the positive results of such measures. The knowledge platf
    Read More
  • RAC Foundation: UK drivers receive 12 million penalties annually
    October 25, 2017
    Up to 12 million driving license holders receive a penalty notice each year – the equivalent of one every 2.5 seconds; meaning as many as a third (30%) of Britain's 40 million drivers now receive a penalty notice annually. The findings come from the Automated Road Traffic Enforcement: Regulation, Governance and Use - for the RAC Foundation by Dr Adam Snow, a lecturer in criminology at Liverpool Hope University. The penalty notices include the Fixed Penalty Notice (a criminal penalty issued
    Read More
  • Skyline introduces OneView video sharing solution
    September 8, 2014
    Skyline Technology Solutions is introducing the OneView video sharing solution at ITS World Congress. Expanding on Skyline’s OneView Portal, this integrated solution empowers transportation agencies to share video with a wide range of stakeholders.
    Read More

Highlighted Content