The technology, which will be rolled out across the entire southern section of the line – from London’s King’s Cross to Stoke Tunnels, just south of Grantham – will mean faster, safer, and more regular trains for millions of people.
A week after union leaders brought much of the nation’s railway to a standstill with strikes, this investment, according to the government, is a key example of how it wants to bring the industry into the 21st century.
UK transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “The funding will remove outdated lineside signaling and replace it with the European train control system (ETCS), which brings signaling into train drivers’ cabs and provides them with real-time, continuous information throughout their journey.
“The new in-cab technology will create a more responsive, more resilient railway and, crucially for passengers, one that can recover quicker when journeys don’t go to plan. Most importantly, as the system will constantly monitor the train’s speed, it will also create a safer railway,” Shapps added.
Toufic Machnouk, director of industry partnership for digital railway, Network Rail, continued, “The East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) is uniquely bringing together all elements of track and train through a pioneering industry partnership that is working beyond boundaries in a deep collaboration.
“As well as the many passenger benefits, the ECDP will deliver a much-needed financial boost to the industry and, over its lifetime, is 42% cheaper than the current system. It will also help the government towards its net zero goal by decreasing carbon emissions by 55,000 tonnes – the equivalent of more than 65,000 one-way flights from London to New York,” he added.
The ECDP follows more than £350m (US$426m) of prior investment to fit other services on the route with the new technology, with over 80% of passenger rolling stock on the East Coast Mainline South already using the ETCS.
Network Rail will prioritize the request for a further investment of £427m (US$520m) as part of the next control period settlement, bringing the overall investment to just under £2bn (US$2.4bn).