A GBP 32.7 million (EUR 38.1 million) contract has been signed to upgrade the Class 700 Thameslink fleet to the latest specification of European Train Control System (ETCS).
The five-year contract was signed by Cross London Trains, DfT, Govia Thameslink Railway, Network Rail and Siemens Mobility and is part of the transformational East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP).
Software design and development for the upgrade of Class 700 trains will take place from this summer, with a programme of testing and commissioning on the first-in-class 700 unit set to get underway from 2024. The entire fleet will be upgraded in 2026 following the completion of the safety approvals and validation process.
Hardware upgrades include cold movement detection, packet-switching GSMR radios, an upgraded driver-machine interface (DMI), KLIP interface module, new wiring and databus. Software will be upgraded to ETCS BL3 R2, also referred to as version 3.6.0.
The 115 Thameslink fleet is the largest passenger fleet in a programme designed to replace conventional signals at the side of the track with state-of-the-art digital signalling, providing continuous, real-time information to the driver’s cab.
The technology will mean more reliable and greener services for passengers and freight, creating the next generation railway.
Coupled with the retrofit of ETCS to Great Northern’s Class 387 Electrostars and the wider ECDP fleet fitment programme, the Class 700 upgrade will help unlock the potential for the remarkable benefits of digital signalling to be rolled out to other parts of the UK network.
“This is great news for our trains, our passengers and the East Coast Digital Programme. Together with five industry partners, we’ve signed a contract that will upgrade our trains to the very latest in digital signalling technology,” Aaron Meakin, ERTMS Fleet Project Manager at Govia Thameslink Railway, said.
The 115 Class 700 trains already come fitted with ETCS which is in use through central London stations on the Thameslink route. The five-year contract encompasses hardware and software upgrades which will allow the trains to make use of the latest digital infrastructure due to be installed on the East Coast Mainline.
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