Learning from the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) January 2022
Introduction The East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) will introduce in-cab radio based signalling - known as digital signalling - on the East Coast Main Line, one of the UK’s major railway lines linking London to Edinburgh. Working in partnership with operators, the Government and the supply chain, the programme will upgrade the train control systems to create a greener, more reliable and flexible railway. It will also increase capacity on the line.
holders, and deploy ETCS on hundreds of vehicles. Network Rail launched a procurement process to find private sector partners to help deliver the programme in September 2018. It was an entirely new way of working, to team up with partners from the supply chain from programme conception to design, develop and deploy the CCS upgrade, including ECTS and Traffic Management System (TMS) technology.
The ECDP is due to be the first intercity digital railway in the UK, fitting trains with the latest signalling technology and removing the old lineside signals. It will mean that the signalling system will be able to communicate with trains continuously rather than only at fixed points, instructing and responding in real time and reducing delays - thereby improving capability and performance. Funding for the programme was confirmed by Government in early 2020 after the project was initiated by Network Rail in 2018.
The key element of the scope of these relationships was that they were to be outcome based and to support and maintain the systems throughout the assets’ life. The procurement concluded with Siemens confirmed as the programme’s Train Control Partner (TCP) and Traffic Management Partner (TMP), and Atkins as Railway Systems Integration Partner (RSIP) – with support from Ramboll and PWC. The programme was established and continues to be overseen by Network Rail, in partnership with operators with cross industry governance.
The programme will migrate around 3000 drivers to ETCS operations across tens of duty
Benefits that ECDP is delivering ◦ Increased system availability
Programme status
◦ Improved punctuality
At the time of publication, the Programme had delivered:
◦ Improved track staff safety ◦ Improved passenger safety
1. The full business case has been completed. It is founded on an industry-developed baseline plan, from blueprint to detail delivery partner and supplier cost plans. It is the first to be developed this way.
◦ Reduced energy consumption and carbon costs
8
