Network Rail has celebrated the conversion of the third of a set of four 16 Class 43 power cars – all of which have been retrofitted to utilise new ETCS (European Train Control System) equipment.

The unit has now been returned to owner RailAdventure UK after an eight week course of work at UKRL’s facility in Loughborough, the former Brush locomotive works.

Three of four units have now been successfully converted

© Network Rail

The fourth unit is anticipated to be completed shortly – also within an eight-week timescale.

Part of the 1.4 billion GBP East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP); the eight-week retrofitment has been the quickest turnaround of a digital fleet upgrade delivered so far.

Once fully implemented, ECDP is intended to transform rail operations by replacing traditional, lineside signals with continuous information displayed inside drivers’ cabs, aiming to provide a more reliable, greener and even safer railway.

All four power cars belong to RailAdventure, a specialist European freight operator using the units for freight, rolling stock movements and charter services.

The next four units set to undergo retrofitment belong to Locomotive Services Limited (LSL), and are used for private charter trains – the first of which has already arrived at Loughborough.

Ben Mason, charter and heritage lead for ECDP, said:

ECDP is all about learning by doing. We’ve had to re-learn how we retrofit older generation trains, and create a more streamlined and efficient assurance process.

Hitachi and their fitment teams have really turned it around. We’re now in a strong place to quickly deliver the remaining 12 Class 43 units, using an efficient productionised process and avoiding unnecessary duplication. The significant progress we’ve made is all down to teamwork and collaboration.

The team involved is now seeking regulatory approval to place the Class 43s into regular service utilising ETCS, with the ultimate aim to have the units operating using digital signalling between Welwyn and Hitchin from later this year.

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