European Rail Traffic Management System in Great Britain

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 European Train Control System (ETCS) and 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][Note 1] Under ERTMS speeds are displayed in the driver's cab in km/h and at Level 2, lineside speed indicators are optional.[5]

History

In 2007 the British Government published its response to a European Union directive[6][7] requiring the use of ERTMS on High Speed (TEN-R)and Conventional Trans-European Railway Network (TEN) routes. 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 will be ordered with ERTMS equipment on board and ERTMS would be installed during any electrification programs.[8] In 2009, the Rail Safety and Standards Board confirmed that km/h would be used on ERTMS lines in the United Kingdom.[9] With the ongoing introduction of ERTMS, it is foreseen that the metrication of British rail transport will be completed over the next few decades.[10]

The Uff/Cullen inquiry (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.[11]

Features and current implementation

A standard feature of the speedometers used by ERTMS/ETCS systems is the use of the metric system.[12] 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 dual both mph and km/h.[5] A 2010 voluntary standards document published by the Rail Safety and 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.[13] In 2012 a technical specification matching this proposal was published.[14]

The Cambrian Line, a low volume 215 km (134 mi) 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.[8][15] All speeds in the Cambrian Line Rule book are in km/h."[16][17] ERTMS will be rolled out as part of the 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western main line,[18] which was expected[Note 2] to reach Oxford and Newbury by 2016 and Cardiff by 2017.[19] As of January 2020, electrification had reached Cardiff.[20]

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 the East Anglia.[21] The new signalling was introduced in February 2020.[22]

Future use

Other early mainline conversions to the ERTMS standards are expected to include[8] 251 km (156 mi) of the East Coast Main Line from London (Kings Cross) to Doncaster and 158 km (98 mi) of the Midland Main Line from London (St Pancras) to Leicester [23][24] while the specification for the proposed High Speed 2 (HS2) link from London to Manchester, Leeds and beyond assumes a minimum of Level 2 ERTMS control and signalling for the "day one service".[25] The Crossrail project in London will also implement ERTMS technology.[26]

It was planned to do a national roll-out after the Wherry Lines trial, which would be carried out in stages with each of the twelve Rail Operating Centres being upgraded at a different time.[21]

See also

Notes
  1. 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.
  2. As of 2012, the rebuilding of bridges to accommodate the overhead wires was in progress

References
  1. 'ERTMS in 10 questions,' "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-02-15. Retrieved 2016-02-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Trainguard – Full interoperability for European railways" (PDF). Brunswick, Germany: Siemens AG. 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  3. Davies, David (February 2000). Automatic Train Protection for the Railway Network in Britain – A Study (PDF). Royal Academy of Engineering. pp. 73–74. ISBN 1871634881. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  4. "ERTMS Levels – Different ERTMS/ETCS Application Levels to match Customers' needs" (PDF). UNIFE (formerly Union des Industries Ferroviaires Européennes – the Association of the European Rail Industry). 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  5. Porter, Derek (2002). Implementing ERTMS in the UK: Human Factor Implication for Train Drivers. International Railway Safety Conference. Retrieved 24 July 2012. 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.
  6. "EC sets out ERTMS deployment deadlines". Railway Gazette International. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  7. Ilie, Elena (22 March 2012). "ETCS, an intermodality harmonization plus". Bucharest: Railway PRO. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  8. "ERTMS National Implementation Plan" (PDF). Department for Transport. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 23 July 2012. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. "GE/RT8000/AM – ERTMS Rule Book – ERTMS Amendments module" (PDF) (1). Rail Safety and Standards Board. October 2009: 4, 5. Retrieved 30 July 2012. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "End of the line for the mile, the chain and the yard". Railnews. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. "European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)". Office of Rail Regulation. 18 February 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  12. Barrow, Alan (1 December 2007). "ABA Surveying Ltd – Getting the ERTMS project off to a flying start". Venture Online – the Magazine for Business Management. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013. ABA have installed a system of permanent ground markers in pairs at nominal ten kilometre spacing
  13. "Rail Industry Standard for Onboard ETCS" (PDF). 1. Rail Safety and Standards Board Ltd. 4 September 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2012. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. "Guidance on ERTMS/ETCS DMI National Requirements" (PDF). Rail Safety and Standards Board. March 2012. Para 2.1.1. Retrieved 23 July 2012. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. Silvester, Katie (August 2011). "Display mode". Rail Professional. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  16. "Incident at Llanbadarn Automatic Barrier Crossing (Locally Monitored), near Aberystwyth, 19 June 2011" (PDF). Accident Rail Report. Rail Accident Investigations Branch. June 2012. Figure 5 shows a 65 km/h speed restriction; Figure 10 shows a speedometer displaying 39 km/h with a 98 km/h hook. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  17. "Rule Book Briefing Leaflet – ERTMS Modules" (PDF). Rail Safety and Standards Board. June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 10, 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2012. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. "European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)". Network Rail. Spring 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  19. "Delivering the plans". Network Rail. Spring 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  20. "Major projects update: January". Network Rail. 2020-01-30. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  21. "Network Rail to pilot Digital Railway in East Anglia".
  22. "Network Rail introduces new signalling on the Wherry Lines". Rail Advent. 2020-09-27.
  23. "East Coast Main Line (ECML), Edinburgh to London, United Kingdom". railway-technology.com (Net Resources International). 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  24. "ERTMS Deployment in the UK – Re-signalling as a key measure to enhance rail operations" (PDF). UNIFE (formerly Union des Industries Ferroviaires Européennes – the Association of the European Rail Industry). 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  25. "HS2 Project Specification". HS2 Ltd (owned by Department for Transport). January 2012. Para 4.4. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  26. "Crossrail, London, United Kingdom". Retrieved 2014-07-19.
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