‘Digital Signalling’ to be introduced on the ECML

[Mintona]

I know there has been talk of this happening on various routes for a while, but this is the first I have seen from the government. A much needed boost for the railways at the moment, which will hopefully put a few minds at ease. I quite enjoy the Yorkshire Post’s use of ‘traffic lights’ for signals.

I presume this will be ETCS.

The UK's first digital signalling system on a long-distance rail route will be installed on the East Coast Main Line

The UK's first digital signalling system on a long-distance rail route will be installed on the East Coast Main Line, the Department for Transport has announced.

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk

The Government has approved £350 million of funding to start rolling out the technology on a 100-mile stretch of the line between London King's Cross and Lincolnshire.
It is hoped the upgrade to the line, which stops at Leeds, York, Wakefield and Doncaster, will cut thousands of hours of delays each year.

Much of Britain's rail signalling uses Victorian technology, with line-side traffic lights controlling trains.
Digital technology enables trains to run closer together, boosting frequency, speed and reliability.

It is already in use on the Thameslink network for trains passing through London Bridge, and on some London Underground lines.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "As the country recovers from Covid-19 we want to speed up our economy and reap the benefits of new transport technology.
"The Victorians gave us the world's first great rail network and now it's our turn to be modern transport pioneers and build on that great tradition.
"Upgrading this country's conventional signalling system, and giving drivers technology fit for the 21st century, will boost train performance, cut delays, improve safety and support the supply chain.

"This is just the beginning. In time, we will digitise signalling right across the country to make good on our promise of better reliability and punctuality for passengers.
"Passengers shouldn't have to worry about missing connections or being late home to see their children, and I've been clear that getting the trains to run on time is a personal priority."
The £350 million funding is on top of the Government's investment of £1.2 billion between 2014 and 2024 to improve journeys on the East Coast Main Line.
This includes creating capacity for up to 10,000 extra seats each day.

More than 80 million journeys are made each year on the East Coast Main Line, linking London with Edinburgh.
No date has been given for when digital signalling will be operational on the route.

 

[D365]

Better late than never eh..?

 

[43 302]

Will this allow 140mph running?

 

[hwl]

Old news, NR already busy on some of the signalling works and contractors already appointed for the rest.

The first section completed will Northern City line from Moorgate northwards (Xmas 2021 go live)

August 2018:

Network Rail launches East Coast Main Line ETCS procurement

The latest news and analysis of the global railway industry from the world's leading international publication.

www.railjournal.com

March 2020:

East Coast resignalling partners appointed

UK: Network Rail has selected Siemens Mobility and Atkins as its partners for the programme to roll out ETCS Level 2 train control and traffic management on the southern section of the East Coast Main Line.

www.railwaygazette.com

 

[hwl]

Will this allow 140mph running?

Theoretically but it wouldn't increase the number of available paths but keeping 125mph max would.

 

[edwin_m]

Will this allow 140mph running?

In principle digital signaling allows higher speeds. However any attempt to increase the speed will affect the fastest trains most, and probably won't affect the slowest trains at all. The increase in difference between fastest and slowest journey times would exacerbate the capacity problems the ECML already has, and outweigh the fairly small capacity benefit provided by the digital system itself. Therefore I don't see it happening.

 

[swt_passenger]

Lineside “traffic lights” controlled by signalling centres doesn’t actually seem very “Victorian” to me. Have they missed a few stages of development along the way?

But its all just so much spin. “Digital” has been in use since the 70s. They need a new way of describing ETCS...

 

[CW2]

On the 4-track sections you could raise the line speeds on the fast lines and timetable accordingly, so the faster trains would gain the benefit of higher line speeds (and do so in a uniform way which would minimise any capacity loss) whilst the slower trains stuck to the existing Slow Lines speed limits. Peterborough - Stoke Summit, and York to Northallerton are a couple of likely areas.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does ETCS L2 ease the path to full ATO? If not I'm not convinced of the benefits - it seems to have been nothing but a nuisance on the Cambrian.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...uks-first-mainline-digital-railway-introduced

From Gov.UK:

The East Coast Main Line is set to become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350 million of new investment to install state-of-the art electronic signalling designed to cut journey times and slash delays.

This huge cash injection – on top of £1.2 billion already earmarked to upgrade one of the country’s most important rail arteries – will fund the replacement of conventional signalling with a digital system that allows trains to talk to the track. This will smooth the flow of trains, make journeys safer and reduce signal failures that every year result in thousands of hours of delays.

The upgrading of the line is just one element of the government’s plan for a 21st century rail network that will help spread prosperity to all parts of the country. A third of the United Kingdom’s population lives within 20 minutes of an East Coast Mainline station and together they produce 41% of GDP.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has accelerated the roll-out of digital signalling to speed up Britain’s economic recovery as we climb out of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s part of a wider national plan aimed at introducing digital signalling on to the entire rail network in Great Britain.

The new technology allows signallers to know exactly where each train is at every minute of every journey. The East Coast Main Line is a mixed-use railway, with trains of different sizes and speeds, both passenger and freight, all using the same tracks. This smart signalling recognises these different trains, allowing train and track to talk to each other continuously in real-time. This ‘in-cab’ system will mean an end to conventional signalling at the side of tracks – first used in the Victorian era.

The introduction of digital signalling is also set to create high-skilled jobs across the supply chain, helping boost the economy as the country builds out of COVID-19.

More than 80 million journeys are made each year on the East Coast Main Line, linking London with Edinburgh, with congestion on the route compounded by signalling nearing the end of its useful life. The upgrade, between London King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel in Lincolnshire, will ensure that more travellers reach their destinations on time. Delays in the south of the route have a knock-on effect further north, so the modernisation work will make life easier for people along the entire length of this vital national asset.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

As the country recovers from COVID-19 we want to speed up our economy and reap the benefits of new transport technology. The Victorians gave us the world’s first great rail network and now it’s our turn to be modern transport pioneers and build on that great tradition.
Upgrading this country’s conventional signalling system, and giving drivers technology fit for the 21st century, will boost train performance, cut delays, improve safety and support the supply chain.
This is just the beginning. In time, we will digitise signalling right across the country to make good on our promise of better reliability and punctuality for passengers.
Passengers shouldn’t have to worry about missing connections or being late home to see their children, and I’ve been clear that getting the trains to run on time is a personal priority.

Today’s funding comes on top of the government’s investment of £1.2 billion between 2014 and 2024 to improve passenger journeys on the East Coast Main Line, creating capacity for up to 10,000 extra seats a day on long-distance services, speeding up journeys and improving reliability for passengers.

Development work is already underway with Network Rail to roll out digital signalling on further routes including sections of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and Anglia from 2026, leading to safer, more reliable, more resilient railways. The government also announced today that £12 million is being invested in fitting out 33 new trains for the Midland Main Line with digital signalling equipment.

Toufic Machnouk, Programme Director of the East Coast Digital Programme, said:

Today’s announcement is a big step towards transforming the network for the millions of passengers that use the East Coast Main Line and a welcome endorsement of the partnership approach that the rail industry has adopted to deliver Britain’s first inter-city digital railway. The funding detailed by the Secretary of State is very significant and will enable the vital building blocks needed to build a modern, right time railway.

David Horne, London North East Railway (LNER) Managing Director and Chair of the East Coast Digital Programme’s Industry Steering Board said:

After LNER and other operators on the East Coast successfully introduced brand new fleets, in-cab signalling will be the next exciting step we take to maximise the benefits of the technology that Azuma and all the trains on this route offer. This investment is good news for all customers, who will see even more improvements in services, reliability and sustainability.

Will Rogers, Managing Director of East Midlands Railway, said:

This vital signal investment is great news for the Midland Mainline and all the passengers we serve. Our new state of the art bi-mode trains will now come into service during 2023 with digital signalling technology ready to take advantage of the greater efficiency and flexibility this route upgrade will offer.

 

[Domh245]

Does ETCS L2 ease the path to full ATO? If not I'm not convinced of the benefits - it seems to have been nothing but a nuisance on the Cambrian.

I do believe so, but I don't think we'd see ATO any time soon. In what way has ETCS been a nuisance on the Cambrian?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I do believe so, but I don't think we'd see ATO any time soon. In what way has ETCS been a nuisance on the Cambrian?

Interoperability has been the main nuisance - only the dedicated units can be used and the cost of the kit is prohibitive to fit to the whole fleet. This means for example that summer holiday strengthening by taking units from quieter commuter services isn't possible.

If portable kit was possible this would solve that but my impression is that it can't be.

 

[Domh245]

Interoperability has been the main nuisance - only the dedicated units can be used and the cost of the kit is prohibitive to fit to the whole fleet. This means for example that summer holiday strengthening by taking units from quieter commuter services isn't possible.

If portable kit was possible this would solve that but my impression is that it can't be.

So nothing inherently wrong with the tech, just the fact that the prototype and limited fleet fitment causes some operational difficulties - that should hardly come as a surprise. Whole different kettle of fish on the ECML(S) where the vast majority of stock is brand new and 'ETCS ready' - it's the same case with both MML and Anglia, which are also mentioned in the press release. The biggest difficulty is going to be the FOCs

 

[Taunton]

Much of Britain's rail signalling uses Victorian technology, with line-side traffic lights controlling trains.
Digital technology enables trains to run closer together, boosting frequency, speed and reliability

I can't recall any colour light signals in Victorian times at all. They came later. Probably thinking about semaphore.

Nor does it allow trains to run closer. The new Underground "digital" signalling going in now along the Circle doesn't allow the 40/hour timetable that was in existence here in the 1950s. That was the actual peak timetable, not just a theoretical headway that it might handle.

Notably a previous SelTrac iteration of automatic signalling on the DLR allowed a second train to come right up behind the first at say a station, just like buses. This no longer happens, they stop way back. I had seen this SelTrac signalling in action initially on the 1980s Skytrain in Vancouver doing the same, so was not surprised. Amazing how things go backwards.

Not mentioned is the propensity of automatic signalling to run a train at say 60mph. Accelerate to 62, slam the brakes on, drop to 58, power on, back to 62, slam the brakes on, drop to 58, power on ... Jubilee Line, looking at you.

 

[Bald Rick]

Will this allow 140mph running?

From a signalling perspective, yes. But not for track, OLE, power, bridges, gauging, and especially level crossings.

On the 4-track sections you could raise the line speeds on the fast lines and timetable accordingly, so the faster trains would gain the benefit of higher line speeds (and do so in a uniform way which would minimise any capacity loss) whilst the slower trains stuck to the existing Slow Lines speed limits. Peterborough - Stoke Summit, and York to Northallerton are a couple of likely areas.

Which would save less than a minute for each.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I think you can say ETCS is an enabler for higher speed/capacity, but they will not happen without further major investment.
High speed is what HS2 is about - it decreases the business case for it on other lines once the "premium" services have been diverted.

It would have been nice to see something approved for the TP route as well, as the projects seem to be linked at York.
There's a throwaway paragraph about ETCS fitment for EMR's new AT300s (for those that thought they were already "ETCS-ready"), plus planning for "digital signalling on parts of the WCML, MML and Anglia from 2026".
We'll have to see what Roger Ford makes of this.

But at least the money has been found to start fitting the ECML in CP6.

 

[trebor79]

So nothing inherently wrong with the tech, just the fact that the prototype and limited fleet fitment causes some operational difficulties - that should hardly come as a surprise. Whole different kettle of fish on the ECML(S) where the vast majority of stock is brand new and 'ETCS ready' - it's the same case with both MML and Anglia, which are also mentioned in the press release. The biggest difficulty is going to be the FOCs

But that's only partially true. What about the 158s and 156s that trundle around the Peterborough and Grantham areas, for example?
There's also freight, as you've identified, and charters. I'm not convinced ETCS is the right solution for a mixed railway, for all sorts of reasons.

 

[HSTEd]

ETCS is an important step to an actual modern railway with drastically reduced maintenace and operating costs.

Ofcourse, unless we require freight operators to fit ECP brakes, the really money saving step can't happen in the near future......

As for freight operators, stuff em.
They can fit the equipment or they can not run, their choice.

 

[MarkyT]

I can't recall any colour light signals in Victorian times at all. They came later. Probably thinking about semaphore.

Coloured lighting in the form of oil lamps shining through moving glass filters attached to the arms had been employed in signalling from the very beginning for night viewing of semaphores.

Practical incandescent electric lamps were available from the 1880s. Underground railways, particularly small deep tubes like the City & South London of the 1890s used light alone for signalling from very early on, due to lack of room in the tunnels for semaphore arms, and no natural light for viewing them, so it's perfectly plausible that an electrically illuminated colour light only signal of some kind with no semaphore arm was used before the end of Victoria's reign, but I have no detailed reference.

It's absurd to claim that just because something first appeared during the Victorian era, that makes it intrinsically out of date today. Idiots use that argument against the very concept of railways themselves, conveniently forgetting that road vehicles are far older, and self propelled steam road carriages were produced before any powered rail vehicle.

Signalling has been inherently digital from the beginning, employing discrete states to convey clear meaning and evolved to use state of the art mechanical computing, then transitioning the exact same principles to electrical techniques. ETCS is the just the next evolution on that same continuum, replacing just one layer of the system, the trackside to cab interface, but retaining all the other underlying embedded concepts and systems of signalling developed over the last century and a half. It is important because of standardisation and openness, so unlike previous cab signalling developments it can never become the proprietary domain of one particular supplier, with the associated lock-in risk that represents to the customer, and it opens up markets for more standardised rolling stock technology through interoperability, even if actual passenger services from Peterborough to the Continent are highly unlikely!

 

[Domh245]

But that's only partially true. What about the 158s and 156s that trundle around the Peterborough and Grantham areas, for example?
There's also freight, as you've identified, and charters. I'm not convinced ETCS is the right solution for a mixed railway, for all sorts of reasons.

Those 156s and 158s are being replaced by 170s, and will be long gone by the time ETCS comes around. Those should be a more simple conversion to ETCS, although by no means simple.

It's also entirely possible that for such sections they can do ETCS L2 overlay which combines colour light signals with the 'standard' eurobalise and arrow style signposts - use of this could even be done 'on the cheap' by only using overlay on the slow lines south of Stoke tunnel and around Peterborough to enable the EMR170s to operate if not themselves retrofitted with ETCS. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I would be surprised if they didn't just use overlay on the slow lines for length of the route - it solves the freight (and charter) problem!

 

[edwin_m]

I can't currently find my copy of June's Modern Railways, but I think they said the initial phase of this would only be as far as Peterborough (exclusive). So the 158s and 170s are currently out of scope. There is also the possibility of keeping lineside signals in parallel with ETCS on sections where non-ETCS trains need to run.

 

[popeter45]

can ETCS be overlayed/underlayed with current signalling to allow some trains to take advantage of it while allowing older trains to keep on using the older signals till newer stock that is ETCS enabled can replace them?

 

[Bald Rick]

can ETCS be overlayed/underlayed with current signalling to allow some trains to take advantage of it while allowing older trains to keep on using the older signals till newer stock that is ETCS enabled can replace them?

Yes - see the Thameslink core.

 

[Ianno87]

Nor does it allow trains to run closer. The new Underground "digital" signalling going in now along the Circle doesn't allow the 40/hour timetable that was in existence here in the 1950s. That was the actual peak timetable, not just a theoretical headway that it might handle.

In *general* is can't let trains run closer together but in *some situations* it can.

It does this by removing the need to be "one size fits all" for the worst case braking distance - trains simply have Movement Authority up to the next suitable marker board / axle counter to fit the train's individual speed and braking characteristics.

So on the ECML, Welywn Viaduct is spaced for the through 115mph speed - but less well spaced for (say) trains diverging to / from the Slows at either end which artifically extends the technical headway through the section. ETCS has the ability to add extra marker boards to optimise the headway behind diverging trains to permit the next non-stop train to be technically just that little bit closer.


(I presume the 40 trains/hour examples is using standards for things like overlaps, dwell times and driver behaviour nowhere near comparable with today)

 

[D365]

From a signalling perspective, yes. But not for track, OLE, power, bridges, gauging, and especially level crossings.

Island platforms such as St. Neots and Biggleswade will need fencing too.

 

[Llanigraham]

Interoperability has been the main nuisance - only the dedicated units can be used and the cost of the kit is prohibitive to fit to the whole fleet. This means for example that summer holiday strengthening by taking units from quieter commuter services isn't possible.

If portable kit was possible this would solve that but my impression is that it can't be.

Funny, but the staff I know on both sides wouldn't recognise any of those "problems".

 

[Domh245]

I can't currently find my copy of June's Modern Railways, but I think they said the initial phase of this would only be as far as Peterborough (exclusive). So the 158s and 170s are currently out of scope. There is also the possibility of keeping lineside signals in parallel with ETCS on sections where non-ETCS trains need to run.

The government press release says it'll go as far as Stoke Tunnel, unless that's a 'phase 2' part. Would seem like an odd place to stop!

 

[ainsworth74]

Surely "digital" signalling has been a thing since at least BR's introduction of IECC signalling centres in the late 80s/early 90s? But I guess saying "we're rolling out ETCS" isn't as sexy plus you can't dunk on the "Victorian" signalling system (though I don't think the Victorian's would recognise much of what is found in say Peterborough PSB, perhaps some of the principles but not much else) either I guess. Plus I suppose admitting that BR knew a thing or two about developing railway technology might not be popular either amongst some circles

 

[HSTEd]

Well I would have preferred we deploy TVM or LZB in the 80s and 90s, but better later than never!

 

[MarkyT]

Island platforms such as St. Neots and Biggleswade will need fencing too.

Unless one of those became the EWR interchange station for the ECML, in which case some fast line trains might want to call and a speed limit might be needed through the platform.

A benefit of ETCS is capacity retention during temporary speed limits. With signal spacing today optimised for a particular speed on each line, a significant speed limit will seriously affect capacity because each train passing through the braking distance and half-speed will take twice as long.

With an increased number of smaller fixed blocks, with spacing not directly related to braking distance, trains can close up easily and safely at every station platform without the need for special confusing aspect sequences for addition 'closing up' signals. ETCS L2 fixed block marker spacing can be varied along the line of route to suit required capacity so the modern equivalent of closing up signals can be provided fairly cheaply even where longer blocks apply between stations (where traffic demands allow). The main limit on headway on busy lines is always the platform reoccupation time, so 'closing up' on approach is extremely important for optimisation and unsurprisingly was widely employed on traditional signalling for metros in particular. Most stations on central London tubes, for example, were provided with additional closing up signals on final approach to the platforms. with a station home further back inside the tunnel then usually no further signals in the tunnels until the previous platform's starter, unless there was a particularly long distance between stations.