A world-first is taking place on Britain’s railways which could have a wide-ranging impact on reliability and performance. And there’s a particularly good chance that you will have already experienced this without even knowing.
Govia Thameslink Railway Class 700 electric multiple units are operating through the Thameslink ‘Core’ between the Canal Tunnels north of St Pancras International and London Bridge using Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2.
This means that the Siemens-built electric multiple units are self-driving, with a driver in place who remains in overall control of the train.
Resignalling is vital to the planned capacity increase on the Thameslink Core. The eight and 12-car Class 700s introduced from 2016 can carry huge numbers of passengers, but they still operate on a two-track railway through the centre of London. Huge sums would have to be spent trying to create additional infrastructure there, however a cheaper option to boost capacity and reliability is the introduction of a new signalling system that improves capacity and reliability, making the railway more resilient to
