Comment: A question of control

Europe’s ERTMS rollout continues to be hampered by rising costs, delays and fragmented responsibilities between infrastructure managers, operators and suppliers. Consultant Editor Chris Jackson says the central question is whether stronger leadership and co-ordination can turn a complex technical programme into a deliverable, network-wide business case. August 31 marked a milestone in the UK’s East Coast Digital Programme, when passenger trains began using a 24 km section of ETCS Level 2 between Welwyn and Hitchin. This overlay on the lineside signalling is envisaged as a stepping stone towards a more extensive ‘signals away’ roll-out, accelerating driver familiarisation and the use of more types of rolling stock. It was originally expected to be completed before April 2024, with the 160 km route from London to Peterborough going live by April 2029.

Delays to ERTMS projects are nothing new, alas. Norway’s national rollout has been rephased several times, not least because of a shortage of resources for retrofitting the rolling stock, while the challenges of digital signalling are one of the factors behind the decision to put back Germany’s ambitious Stuttgart 21 programme to 2031 at the earliest.

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