The Strategic Rail Authority and the Rail Safety & Standards Board (formerly Railway Safety) today confirmed, in an annual report, that planning and development for UK application of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) was on schedule. The expert report also confirms a plan for the testing and development of the system is in place.
ERTMS is required under EU Directives on 'Interoperability' and is programmed to become standard across all of Europe's mainline networks as existing systems are renewed. Following publication of the report, which is welcomed by the Health & Safety Commission and Executive, the Authority and Network Rail will start development work for the first UK operational trials on the Cambrian Coast section of the Wales & Borders franchise - targeted for 2008.
SRA Executive Director (Technical), David Waboso, welcomed the progress:
"There is now a better understanding of the technical and performance specifications for ERTMS and of what their integration to UK rail infrastructure, trains and rules involves. We have a development plan and are on schedule to deliver it with a single, national team.
"Once fully developed for the UK, the system will bring the benefits of greater network capacity, even safer journeys and European compatibility.
"The work done by the ERTMS National Programme Team has triggered the development of rules and principles, clarified the safety acceptance process, and prepared the way for trials on the Cambrian Coast and earlier equipment field trials."
More work has to be done in Europe to deliver a full suite of technical and control-command and signalling standards before ERTMS can be fully integrated for the UK network, which has unique operating characteristics.
