Engineering news
An advanced signalling system that will allow trains to travel every two to three minutes through central London was successfully tested using Govia Thameslink Railway’s new Siemens Class 700 trains for the first time.
The Thameslink Programme, part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a better and more reliable railway for passengers, successfully ran a Class 700 train through the central London “core” using European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 in-cab signalling.
Instead of relying on lineside signals, the system works by constantly supervising the speed and controlling the limits of movement of trains through an on-train computer.
The on-train computer is linked back via radio to a central computer at the track side, which considers all train movements within the area. It sends ‘movement authorities’ to the train's computer - the equivalent of a green or yellow signal, allowing the driver to proceed - which converts to a display on the driver’s cab letting them know how far they can travel before they reach their ‘end of authority’ – the equivalent of a stop signal.
If a train exceeds the linespeed, or is approaching the end of authority too fast, the train will brake back down to a safe speed automatically. This can be done automatically using a safe braking platform via the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system.
The constant speed and movement supervision allows the drivers to always run at the optimum safe speed, helping more trains run and recover from delays quicker.
It also helps improve capacity as the constant speed supervision allows trains to safely run closer together than with conventional lineside signalling.
Part of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), the ETCS is eventually expected to replace traditional railway signals, reducing the costs of maintaining the railway, improving performance and enhancing safety.
In-cab signalling is required to allow trains to be driven automatically between St Pancras and Blackfriars stations, under driver supervision, in order to enable up to 24 trains to operate per hour from 2018. This was the first in a series of functional and operational tests planned over the next 16 months to ensure that trains operate safely and efficiently.
Last year, Network Rail tested its in-cab infrastructure through central London using a Class 313 test train and in collaboration with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Siemens, tests have been run using a Class 700 train at the ETCS National Integration Facility.
However, this is the first time that a Class 700 train has been tested in central London using the infrastructure it will run on in passenger service from 2018.
Paul Bates, project director for Network Rail, said: “This is a significant milestone towards enabling the frequency of service that will keep London moving and provide better journeys through the heart of the capital. This success is a testament to the integrated and collaborative approach taken by GTR, Siemens and Network Rail, to achieve collective success.”
John Killeen, head of fleet programmes for GTR, said that the ETCS will also create the capacity to run extra Thameslink trains to and from Peterborough and Cambridge.
Mark Ferrer, new technology director at Siemens Rail Automation, added: “The delivery of this ground-breaking system is a clear demonstration of our ability to deliver the future digital railway, which will increasingly require the definition, development and delivery of these complex systems as the digital railway becomes ever more prevalent.”
Overnight testing will continue in September, with the first trials of the ATO system between St Pancras and Blackfriars. ATO, which enables the train to operate automatically through the “core”, was tested successfully at the ETCS National Integration Facility test site on the Hertford loop earlier this year.