- government invests £1.2 million to accelerate development
work to roll-out digital signalling on 3 key rail routes
- digital signalling programme will support supply chain by
creating high-skilled jobs, boosting the economy
- follows £350 million investment into ambitious digital
signalling programme on East Coast Main Line
The roll-out of digital signalling – set to improve safety and
slash delays – has been accelerated through £1.2 million of new
government funding announced by Rail Minister
today (18 November 2020).
Feasibility work for digital signalling will be accelerated on
vital sections of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and
East Anglia route, including Peterborough to Kings Lynn on the
Anglia route, and in the Warrington and Wigan area on the West
Coast Mainline North.
This work will identify the most effective way to apply this type
of technology to the railway and new way of working, capitalising
on early engagement with the supply chain, and creating further
opportunities to encourage innovation and drive efficiencies
across regions.
Learning from the recent experience of the East Coast Digital
Programme, where a partnership with route-based operators has
been a success, this early scoping work will lay the foundation
for future digital signalling renewals, as part of a wider
national plan to introduce digital signalling across the rail
network in Great Britain.
Rail Minister
said:
We’ve come a long way since the era of metal levers, used by
Victorian signallers to provide safe passage for trains rolling
into and out of stations. Now it’s our turn to be modern
transport pioneers as we build the railway of tomorrow.
Today’s investment brings forward early investigation work with
Network Rail engineers and suppliers on how best to roll out
digital signalling across the rail network, reducing delays and
improving safety in the long term.
Our ambitious programme to modernise Britain’s rail network
will support the supply chain by creating high-skilled jobs and
boosting the economy, as we level up the country and build back
better after COVID-19.
Conventional signalling means the network can struggle to recover
quickly following disruption with a small delay on one part of
the railway still causing knock-on delays hundreds of miles away
on other parts of the network, many hours later.
This new technology gives signallers much better real-time
information about train movements, enabling them to communicate
with train drivers continuously to reduce the impact of delays.
This ‘in-cab’ system will mean an end to conventional signalling
at the side of tracks – first used in the Victorian era.
As part of this work, the department is engaging with suppliers
of digital signalling and industry experts across the country to
learn from similar schemes and drive efficiency in the
government’s nationwide programme to roll-out this technology on
the railway, part of the commitment with industry in the
rail sector deal.
Today’s news follows the announcement of £350
million of new investment toward the East Coast Digital
Programme , which will introduce digital signalling on the
East Coast Main Line, between London King’s Cross and Stoke
Tunnel in Lincolnshire, ensuring that more passengers reach their
destinations on time.
Andy Jones, director of Operational Programme Delivery at Network
Rail, said:
We’re delighted with this development funding, which reconfirms
the DfT’s
commitment to pursuing the long-term deployment plan for
digital signalling on Britain’s railway.
The first 3 schemes – on the East Anglia route, the West Coast
Main Line and the Midland Main Line – will help drive forward
the modern railway we all need.
David Clarke, Technical Director at the Railway Industry
Association, said:
With around 60% of signalling equipment units on the UK rail
network needing to be replaced over the next 15 years, rail
suppliers will need to gear up to ensure they are ‘match fit’
for a significant amount of work, ensuring its rollout is
delivered efficiently, to time and to budget, and in order to
ensure value for money for taxpayers and passengers.
New digital technology will improve the reliability and
resilience of the network, providing better services for
passengers and freight, and will create highly skilled jobs
across the UK, at a time when they are vitally needed.
“Today’s investment is a positive step towards rolling out
digital signalling and builds on the great work undertaken
through the Rail Sector Group (RSG) deal, a joint collaboration
between industry and government. The Railway Industry
Association and our members very much look forward to working
with government in delivering digital technology across the
network”.
This comes ahead of a virtual panel event taking place tomorrow
(Thursday 19 November 2020) with the Rail Minister and leading
voices from across the rail and technology sectors who will be
taking part in an interactive discussion on how digital
technology can transform our rail network.
The panel will discuss the impact and progress of vital digital
signalling projects, and the wider innovations that digital
technology can bring to rail.
