New rail farce as technology to end delays won’t be ready until 2060

New technology that could improve rail signalling and cut delays won’t be fully installed in Britain until at least 2060. Infrastructure problems – including signal failures – are the biggest cause of train delays on the rail network, accounting for around a third in total. Currently, the vast majority of rail lines use the same “traffic light” signals which have been around for more than 100 years. Shorts The European Train Control System (ETCS), which lets drivers use a digital screen in their cab rather than looking for lineside signals, was first trialled on the Cambrian railway line, which runs from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, to Aberystwyth, mid Wales, and Pwllheli, north Wales, in 2010. But progress has been slow since then, with the Northern City Line in London the first commuter line to get the technology last year. By comparison, other European countries have moved much faster, with 40 per cent of the rolling stock expected to be equipped by 2030. More than 90 per cent of railway track has been set up for ETCS in Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, though progress has been much slower in countries such as France and Germany. Singalling rollout ‘already behind schedule’ Network Rail says it plans to spend £1.4bn installing the new digital signalling system on the East Coast Main Line, with live testing currently taking place and the project scheduled for completion in the early 2030s. But reports suggest the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which was first launched in 2017, is behind schedule and over budget. Trade publication Modern Railways magazine recently reported that work on the first “Class 66” trains due to have ETCS is behind schedule. The system was due to be installed by March 2026 to begin operation between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin. “The project is a shambles,” railway engineer and writer Gareth Dennis claimed. A CrossCountry train passing Alnmouth on the East Coast Main Line. Network Rail is spending £1.4bn installing the new digital signalling system on the railway route (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA) Network Rail told MPs it planned to roll out ETCS nationwide by 2060, but experts now think even that date may be optimistic. “This is a situation where we have a rolling programme of upgrades – but it has the worst aspects of project management,” said Dennis. “There are mistakes in the way it’s being delivered. Ideally, you would build up the team and then deliver it around the country.” ‘It doesn’t solve all our problems’ ETCS continues to prompt debate within the rail industry as to how much benefit it can bring. Independent rail consultant William Barter said he believes it should lead to fewer delays. “You would expect that because there’s less fixed equipment to fail,” he said. “Logically it should be more reliable and it should be safer as well. “I think the strongest argument is that it should be cheaper to renew a signalling system with ETCS than to try and build or commission a like-for-like replacement.” However, Barter is unconvinced by claims that the new system could also improve capacity on Britain’s rail network. “I think that is very dubious,” he added. “I don’t think ETCS solves all our problems.” Transport writer Christian Wolmar agreed that ETCS is unlikely to be rolled out across Britain’s entire rail network “because it won’t be necessary on small branch lines and the like.” He said the slow rollout is partly down to the historically fragmented nature of Britain’s rail industry, which means Network Rail has been responsible for infrastructure, train operators for running services, and private companies own rolling stock. Wolmar expects the situation to improve under Labour’s plan to nationalise the railways under the banner of Great British Railways (GBR). “The train operators were always reluctant to spend money on things like this [ETCS] because they don’t get the benefit from it,” he said. “The fragmentation of the rail network delayed the introduction of innovation because of the different ambitions of train operators and Network Rail. “There’s certainly a better structure under Great British Railways – it will be better able to cope with innovation.” The Department for Transport and Network Rail were contacted for comment.