03.08.16
Thameslink Class 700 passes first stage of ETCS testing
The new fleet of trains for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have completed a successful journey through central London using European Train Control System (ETCS) signalling.
The first 240m-long Class 700 Desiro City train successfully entered into passenger service in June, but they are due to be in operation across the GTR network by 2018, where they will be the first to use both ETCS and the Automatic Train Operation System (ATOS).
Early on Saturday morning, Network Rail successfully ran the Class 700 through central London using ETCS level 2 in-cab signalling.
In-cab signalling means that the trains can run automatically, under driver supervision, between St Pancras and Blackfriars. This is needed to allow GTR to meet its target of enabling up to 24 trains an hour to operate by 2018 in order to meet the growing demand on its services.
The Class 700s were built by Siemens and can carry up to 1,754 passengers.
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.”
Introducing ETCS across the railway network is a pillar of the Digital Railway programme.
Network Rail tested the in-cab signalling infrastructure in central London using a Class 313 test train last year, and tests have been run using a Class 700 train at the ETCS National Integration Facility. However, this development marks the first successful test of a Class 700 on the railway it is intended to use.
In September, Network Rail will test ATOS on the St Pancras-Blackfriars route.
Mark Ferrer, new technology director at Siemens Rail Automation, said: “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.”
Functional and operational tests on the Class 700 will also continue over the next 16 months.
The Class 700s are part of the Thameslink programme of improvements, which will take another step forward on the August bank holiday weekend when two-thirds of the new concourse at London Bridge station opens.
(Image c. GTR)
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