ETCS contracts
Network Rail appoints partners for its East Coast Digital Programme, awarding contracts worth a total exceeding £1 billion.
NETWORK Rail has appointed train control, traffic management and systems integration partners for its East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP).
NR is planning to install
European Train Control System (ETCS) in-cab signalling technology and to remove lineside signals on the southern section of the
East Coast Main Line between Peterborough and London.
Siemens and Atkins have been confirmed as NR’s partners for the work, which is expected to save thousands of hours of passenger delays.
A staged migration will now take place towards ETCS level 2, with some 300 passenger and freight trains that use the route also to be fitted with the same technology.
According to NR, the first £350 million investment by government in ECDP is already being used to begin the introduction of real-time digital signalling on the route, and to lay the foundations for a wider national rollout.
“This is a major step forward in transforming the network for the millions of passengers that use the ECML,” said NR ECDP Director Toufic Machnouk.
“We have adopted a partnership approach across the rail industry to deliver Britain’s first inter-city digital railway, moving away from traditional procurement and bringing together technology providers to set a standard for how digital railway is deployed.”
NR launched the procurement process in September 2018 to team up with partners to not only deploy ETCS technology, but also to work with it from the start to design and develop it.
That process has now concluded, with Siemens Mobility being named as train control partner (TCP) in a framework contract worth an estimated £900m, as well as traffic management partner (TMP) in a contract worth £108m.
The TMP has a wider remit to work in both the Eastern and North West & Central regions to develop traffic management for the Trans-Pennine Upgrade in addition to ECDP. This second tranche of work is worth £72m.
Meanwhile, Atkins has been named rail systems integration partner (RSIP) in a contract worth £55m. It will provide governance and assurance, as well as managing integration and establishing collaborative relationships between the TCP, TMP, and other stakeholders - including government, operators and rolling stock owning companies.
Rob Morris, managing director of rail infrastructure for Siemens Mobility, said: “This is a significant step forward for the UK rail industry as we move towards a fully digital railway, and we are delighted to work in partnership with NR to deliver this groundbreaking programme.”
Scott Kelley, strategic rail director at Atkins added: “This is a genuinely game-changing transformation programme at the leading edge of rail industry integration. Our team will bring together unique skills and experience to enable the industry collaboration to deliver the ECDP, establishing the gold standard for future delivery programmes.”