European Rail Traffic Management System in Great Britain explained

The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is an initiative backed by the European Union to enhance cross-border interoperability and the procurement of signalling equipment by creating a single Europe-wide standard for train control and command systems.

Its main components are the European Train Control System (ETCS) and the GSM-R communications system.[1] ETCS is a standard for track-train radio communications using balises (Eurobalises) and associated in-cab train control,[2] while GSM-R is the GSM mobile communications standard for railway operations. ERTMS can operate at different levels depending on specific local requirements.[3] [4] [5] Under ERTMS speeds are displayed in the driver's cab in km/h and at Level 2, lineside speed indicators are optional.[6]

History

In 2007 the British Government published its response to a European Union directive requiring the use of ERTMS on High Speed (TEN-R) and Conventional Trans-European Railway Network (TEN) routes.[7] [8] The response proposed a roll-out plan of ERTMS equipment on existing lines that would be completed by 2044, though the actual timing of the programme will depend on changing circumstances. New trains would be ordered with ERTMS equipment on board and ERTMS would be installed during any electrification programs.[9] In 2009, the Rail Safety & Standards Board confirmed that km/h would be used on ERTMS lines in the United Kingdom.[10] With the ongoing introduction of ERTMS, it is foreseen that the metrication of British rail transport will be completed over the next few decades.[11]

The Uff/Cullen inquiry in 2001, following the Southall and Ladbroke Grove rail crashes, identified a need for in-cab signalling on high-speed trains, and recommended that ERTMS should be installed onto all of Britain's high-speed lines by the year 2010. However, this timescale was not viable because of the time required to develop the technology.[12]

Current implementation

The Cambrian Line, a low volume 215km (134miles) rail link between Shrewsbury in the east and Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in the west, was chosen as Britain's first ERTMS line. This line was chosen as its signalling system had reached the end of its useful life, and because it is a low capacity line almost separate from the national network, making it an ideal site on which to gain ERTMS experience.[13] All speeds in the Cambrian Line Rule book are in km/h.[14] [15] ERTMS will be rolled out as part of the 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line,[16] which was expected[17] to reach Oxford and Newbury by 2016 and Cardiff by 2017.[18] As of January 2020, electrification had reached Cardiff.[19]

In February 2016, Network Rail announced that it was considering a trial of ERTMS on the Wherry Lines from Norwich to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth in East Anglia. The new signalling was introduced in February 2020 however the equipment, while compatible with ETCS in the future, was of a traditional design.[20] [21]

!Line!Status / Date!ERTMS level!Notes
Cambrian Line[22] Live 2011Level 2
Thameslink Core[23] [24] LiveLevel 2Automatic train operation (ATO) works on top of ECTS
Crossrail (Western section Heathrow to Great Western Mainline)[25] [26] Live 2020Level 2ECTS overlay over existing signally planned Paddington to Airport Junction (i.e. where the Heathrow link leaves the Great Western Mainline)
Heathrow Express (Tunnel Section)Live 2020Level 2ETCS currently in operation in the tunnel section only. Expansion onto the mainline to Ealing Broadway is expected before the end of 2023
Northern City Line (Moorgate to ECML Finsbury Park)[27] [28] [29] Testing. Due June 2024[30] Level 2Connected to the larger ECML project above (trains using the Northern City Line run on to the ECML). Expected to be fully live by 2024, with the first revenue service running 27 November 2023.[31]
ECML South (Kings Cross to Peterborough)[32] [33] Planned (2030s)Level 2Expected to be operational 'early 2030s'[34] Tranche 2 (Welwyn to Hitchin Overlay) July 2025Tranche 4 (full roll-out) December 2029
High Speed 2Planned (2029–2033)Level 2

Future use

Other early mainline conversions to the ERTMS standards are expected to include 251km (156miles) of the East Coast Main Line from London Kings Cross to Doncaster and 158km (98miles) of the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to Leicester.[9] [35] [36] The specification for High Speed 2 from London to Birmingham (previously Manchester and Leeds) assumes a minimum of Level 2 ERTMS control and signalling from day one of operations.[37]

After the Wherry Lines trial, a nation-wide rollout of ERTMS was planned. This upgrade would be carried out in stages, with each of the twelve Rail Operating Centres being upgraded at different times.[38]

Metric and Imperial units

A standard feature of the speedometers used by ERTMS/ETCS systems is the use of the metric system.[39] At a Railway Conference in 2002, it was argued that a changeover to using metric units for speed in advance of the introduction of ERTMS was unlikely to be financially viable unless the decision is taken to adopt Level 2 ERTMS without lineside signalling. There would however still be a need to handle both mph and km/h in driver cabs.A 2010 voluntary standards document published by the Rail Safety & Standards Board addressed this issue when it recommended that the speedometer of a ETCS system be designed so that it switches automatically between mph and km/h depending on the route being traversed. The speedometer would display "mph" when the speedometer was displaying "miles per hour", otherwise would display nothing. Its graduations would be chosen such that the angle of the needle would not change when the system switched from one scale to the other. The conversion between metric and imperial units would be a function of the speedometer, not of any other on-board equipment.[40] In 2012 a technical specification matching this proposal was published.[41]

See also

Notes and References

  1. 'ERTMS in 10 questions,' Web site: Archived copy . 2016-02-27 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100215163846/http://ec.europa.eu/transport/rail/interoperability/ertms/doc/ertms_10_questions_en.pdf . 2010-02-15 .
  2. Web site: Trainguard – Full interoperability for European railways . . 2006 . Braunschweig, Germany . 28 July 2012.
  3. Book: Automatic Train Protection for the Railway Network in Britain – A Study. 73–74. 1871634881. David. Davies. February 2000. 31 July 2012. Royal Academy of Engineering.
  4. Web site: ERTMS Levels – Different ERTMS/ETCS Application Levels to match Customers' needs. UNIFE – the Association of the European Rail Industry. 22 July 2012. 2012.
  5. Three levels have been identified for ERTMS:
    • Level 1 – ERTMS is added to or overlaid on lineside signals and train detectors. Communication is via balises (Eurobalises) of an existing railway system.
    • Level 2 – ERTMS uses balises to communicate with the driver, thereby dispensing with lineside signalling equipment. The location of each block is fixed (as with traditional railway systems).
    • Level 3 – Level 3 is an enhancement on Level 2 whereby the block will move with the train.
  6. Porter . Derek . 2002 . Implementing ERTMS in the UK: Human Factor Implication for Train Drivers . International Railway Safety Conference . It is unlikely to be financially viable to change all UK lineside signs to km/h (sic) unless the decision is taken to adopt Level 2 ERTMS without lineside signalling. . http://www.intlrailsafety.com/TokyoConference.html . 24 July 2012.
  7. 31 July 2009. EC sets out ERTMS deployment deadlines. Railway Gazette International. 22 July 2012.
  8. Web site: Ilie. Elena. 22 March 2012. ETCS, an intermodality harmonization plus. Railway PRO. Bucharest. 28 July 2012.
  9. ERTMS National Implementation Plan . http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110721080346/http%3A//assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/uk%2Dimplementation%2Dand%2Dprogress/ukertmsplan.pdf . dead . 2011-07-21 . . September 2007 . 23 July 2012.
  10. GE/RT8000/AM – ERTMS Rule Book – ERTMS Amendments module . 4, 5 . . October 2009 . 30 July 2012 . 1.
  11. End of the line for the mile, the chain and the yard. Railnews. 1 October 2013. 5 October 2013.
  12. Web site: European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Office of Rail Regulation. 23 July 2012. 18 February 2008 .
  13. . Display mode . August 2011 . Katie . Silvester . 25 July 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20130421025217/http://www.railpro.co.uk/magazine/?idArticles=991 . 21 April 2013.
  14. Web site: Incident at Llanbadarn Automatic Barrier Crossing (Locally Monitored), near Aberystwyth, 19 June 2011. June 2012. 28 July 2012. Accident Rail Report. Rail Accident Investigations Branch. Figure 5 shows a 65 km/h speed restriction; Figure 10 shows a speedometer displaying 39 km/h with a 98 km/h hook.
  15. Rule Book Briefing Leaflet – ERTMS Modules . June 2010 . . 23 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150610221523/http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Rule_Book/Briefing%20Leaflet/GERT8000-RBBL%20ERTMS%20Iss%201.pdf . June 10, 2015 .
  16. Web site: European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Network Rail. Spring 2012. 30 July 2012.
  17. As of 2012, the rebuilding of bridges to accommodate the overhead wires was in progress
  18. Web site: Delivering the plans. Network Rail. Spring 2012. 30 July 2012.
  19. Web site: Major projects update: January. 2020-01-30. Network Rail. en-GB. 2020-01-31. 2020-01-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20200131104248/https://www.networkrail.co.uk/stories/major-projects-update-january. dead.
  20. Web site: Norwich - Yarmouth - Lowestoft Resignalling completed . 3 April 2020 .
  21. Web site: Network Rail introduces new signalling on the Wherry Lines. 2020-09-27. Rail Advent.
  22. Web site: Development & Implementation of ETCS . 2022-07-01 . www.networkrailconsulting.com.
  23. Web site: THAMESLINK PUTTING ETCS TO WORK . 2022-07-01 . www.modernrailways.com . en.
  24. Web site: London Thameslink ETCS signalling . 2022-07-01 . rail.ricardo.com.
  25. Web site: Anonymous . 2019-02-14 . Crossrail Western Section Signalling . 2022-07-01 . Mayor's Question Time.
  26. Web site: Kessell . Clive . 2020-07-02 . Crossrail's Signalling Challenge . 2022-07-01 . Rail Engineer . en-GB.
  27. Web site: Mansfield . Ian . Signalling upgrade comes online on Great Northern line into Moorgate . 2022-07-01 . www.ianvisits.co.uk . 5 May 2022 . en-GB.
  28. Web site: Moorgate line ETCS upgrade commissioned . 2022-07-01 . www.modernrailways.com . en.
  29. Web site: Network Rail starts ETCS testing on Northern City Line . 2022-07-01 . Railpage.
  30. Web site: September 2023 . Enhancements Delivery Plan England and Wales .
  31. Web site: ETCS goes live on Northern City line . 2023-12-01 . www.modernrailways.com . en.
  32. Web site: Burroughs . David . East Coast Main Line ETCS installation receives £1bn funding boost . 2022-07-01 . International Railway Journal . en-GB.
  33. Web site: Government confirms digital go-ahead for East Coast Main Line Railnews Today's news for Tomorrow's railway . 2022-07-01 . www.railnews.co.uk.
  34. Web site: PA . Neil Lancefield . Walker . Tim . 2022-06-29 . East Coast Main Line getting £1bn upgrade . 2022-07-01 . YorkshireLive . en.
  35. Web site: East Coast Main Line (ECML), Edinburgh to London, United Kingdom. railway-technology.com (Net Resources International). 24 July 2012. 2011.
  36. Web site: ERTMS Deployment in the UK – Re-signalling as a key measure to enhance rail operations. UNIFE – the Association of the European Rail Industry). 2012. 23 July 2012. 23 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160323070017/http://www.ertms.net/media/12836/ertms%20facts%20sheet%2014%20-%20ertms%20deployment%20in%20the%20uk.pdf/. dead.
  37. HS2 Project Specification. January 2012. HS2 Ltd. Para 4.4.
  38. Web site: Network Rail to pilot Digital Railway in East Anglia.
  39. Barrow . Alan . 1 December 2007 . ABA Surveying Ltd – Getting the ERTMS project off to a flying start . dead . Venture Online – the Magazine for Business Management . https://archive.today/20130505144258/http://www.venturemagazine.co.uk/article-page.php?contentid=1672&issueid=168 . 5 May 2013 . ABA have installed a system of permanent ground markers in pairs at nominal ten kilometre spacing . 19 February 2013.
  40. 4 September 2010 . Rail Industry Standard for Onboard ETCS . 1 . . 28 July 2012.
  41. March 2012 . Guidance on ERTMS/ETCS DMI National Requirements . . Para 2.1.1 . 23 July 2012.

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