Alstom helps to drive forward digital rail revolution

Alstom has taken another step towards the introduction of onboard digital signalling technology on passenger trains currently operating on the UK rail network.

The firm has recently completed dynamic testing of its ETCS (European Train Control System) on an Electrostar train.

The digital in-cab technology continuously communicates details of a train’s position, speed and direction.

It provides signalling information directly to a computer screen in the driver’s cab, meaning signals at the side of the railway track are no longer required.

Alstom’s Digital and Integrated Systems (D&IS) team initially installed the in-cab signalling technology on a Class 387 Govia Thameslink Electrostar – assessing its performance across a range of operational scenarios.

It will now go through a process of accumulating fault-free running mileage as the next stage in the approvals process.

The progress achieved so far lays the foundations for the upgrade to be applied to the rest of the UK’s vast Electrostar fleet and for future expansion of ETCS across other routes.

David Maddison, D&IS regional director at Alstom, said: “We are proud to have provided the cutting-edge technology and expertise necessary to retrofit the Class 387 fleet, paving the way for a new era of safer, more efficient and sustainable rail travel.

“Working with partners across the industry, Alstom is committed to advancing the digital rail revolution, ensuring that passengers and freight operators alike benefit from enhanced performance and reliability.”

The Electrostars are a family of electric passenger trains manufactured at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane facility in Derby between 1999 and 2017.

As one of the largest rolling stock factories in the world, Alstom’s Derby site is today the only UK facility that designs, engineers, builds and tests trains for domestic and export markets – alongside offering servicing and signalling.