The UK rail industry is on a journey toward digitalisation, and one of its most ambitious steps has been the deployment of the European Train Control System (ETCS) on Thameslink. This critical corridor through central London has provided a unique testing ground for in-cab signalling, offering lessons that will shape future deployments.
In our first podcast episode for the IET Railway Technical Network, Jude Parsons spoke with Jamie Geraghty, Signalling Manager at Three Bridges, and Glenn Mitchell, Senior Asset Engineer at Network Rail, to uncover what ETCS has delivered so far—its benefits, challenges, and what we’ve learned along the way.
Why Thameslink Matters
Thameslink is a critical corridor connecting the north and south of the UK through central London, linking major hubs like Gatwick, Luton, and St Pancras. Its complexity made it the perfect proving ground for ETCS, offering valuable insights into both its benefits and challenges.
Operational Perspective
Jamie highlighted that, for signallers, day-to-day operations under ETCS feel similar to conventional signalling—until something goes wrong. In degraded situations, failures such as track circuit issues can significantly alter incident management. The overlay of conventional signalling alongside ETCS adds complexity, especially for drivers who only spend a short time in the ETCS-controlled core.
One common misconception? That ETCS makes operations simpler. In reality, while safety has improved, faults introduce new layers of complexity and require deeper technical knowledge.
Infrastructure Perspective
Glenn emphasised that ETCS doesn’t replace the fundamentals of railway infrastructure. Good maintenance and condition monitoring remain essential to reliability. Failures in conventional assets, like track circuits, still have the biggest impact on performance.
Looking ahead, Glenn advocates for full ETCS deployment—removing lineside signals entirely. This could reduce costs and simplify operations, but it requires significant training and stakeholder engagement.
Key Lessons and Advice
Both guests agreed on two critical points for future deployments:
- Bring operations into the process early. ETCS shouldn’t “happen” to teams; they need to be part of design and development.
- Learn from existing deployments. Knowledge from Thameslink, Paddington-Heathrow, Moorgate, and Cambrian is invaluable.
You can listen to our first audio episode here:
ETCS Podcast Recording 1.m4a
What’s Next?
The next podcast will look beyond the UK, exploring how countries like Norway, Denmark, Germany, and Spain are approaching digitalisation—and what we can learn from each other.