Network Rail has successfully tested ETCS system that will allow trains to travel every two to three minutes through central London, using Govia Thameslink Railway’s new Siemens Class 700 trains for the first time.
The Thameslink Programme achieved another milestone on July 30, as the train ran through the central London “core” using European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 in-cab signalling.
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 sixteen 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.
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