Class 387/1 goes for ETCS fitment
GOVIA Thameslink Railway (GTR) has sent its first Class 387/1 unit to be upgraded to ETCS in-cab signalling as part of the East Coast Digital Programme.
No. 387101 was hauled by
No. 47749 to Worksop on October 24. The four-car train will be retrofitted by Alstom to include the latest iteration of ETCS in the UK (BL3 R2, also referred to as version 3.6.0) and ECDP v1.1. The train will then undergo static testing at Derby Litchurch Lane, prior to dynamic testing at speeds of up to 110mph on Network Rail’s RIDC Melton test track.
It is expected to return to passenger duties in July 2023, after which GTR will fit the remaining 28 Class 387/1 units in-house at Hornsey depot.
■ GTR’s other fleets – Class 700 and 717 – which will require ECTS to run on East Coast routes, were delivered with the equipment fitted as new, so will only need software upgrades to be able to operate when in-cab signalling is introduced.