Great news for the future of mainline steam
 

In the current publication of Rail (774) it says that Network Rail has moved its target date for ERTMS "50 years hence".

ERTMS requires In-Cab signalling, computer control, and a digital gateway into the train. Obviously this would be way beyond the finances of most classic locomotive owners....so ERTMS would effectively kill mainline steam.

The original roll out for this on the southern part of the ECML was to be 2021. That's going to come around pretty soon.

But now NR has effectively thrown away its "Digital Railway" plan.

So maybe it'll be 2071....or even later.

Don't rush into it NR, we don't mind waiting ;)

BW

It will however be introduced on HS1 & 2 and any further extensions of the high speed system. This will allow cross-border ERTMS trains from Europe to get far into the UK so no reason to push too hard elsewhere.

The downside is of course no steam running on the HS network and through the Channel Tunnel..

Interesting, thanks Phil. That's where it belongs.

I just couldn't see the economics of spending billions to make suburban rolling stock and sedate branch lines compliant with a European system. Quite apart from the massive technical installation, there would be so much EXTRA cost in just bringing vast parts of our system up to the standard where ERTMS could control it.

And since it was going to be installed a line at a time, would have made operations insane. One minute in cab signalling with linespeeds in kph, the next colour lights in mph. Sheer wackadoo politics again and I suspect that the people at the top hadn't thought it through.

Wow. I'd pay to see Mallard run at 186 mph. ;)

Best wishes, BW