Grand Central’s fleet of 10 Class 180 trains has received regulatory approval for the first-in-class installation of the European Train Control System (ETCS), bringing digitally signalled passenger services closer to operation.
The Authorisation for Placing into Service (APiS) covers the fleet after it was retrofitted with digital signalling equipment by Alstom. The trains are owned by Angel Trains, the rolling stock company within the Arriva Group’s open-access operation.
Testing and driver training
The trains are due to receive software updates before entering an extended 50,000-mile fault-free running programme in December. Grand Central drivers are also being trained to use Level National Train Control mode, which allows ETCS-fitted trains to operate over conventionally signalled routes.
Grand Central expects the fleet to begin using ETCS Level 2 digital in-cab signalling on the East Coast Main Line between Welwyn and Hitchin by spring 2027.
Chris Brandon, director at Grand Central Rail, said: “Getting to this milestone has taken a lot of hard work by colleagues within GC, our train owner Angel Trains and our technology partner Alstom. I would like to congratulate everyone involved. However, there is much work to do before we are ready to begin ETCS enabled services on the mainline and we will continue to focus on achieving this goal.”
East Coast digital signalling rollout
The approval supports the East Coast Digital Programme’s rollout of in-cab signalling on the southern section of the East Coast Main Line. The programme delivered the country’s first ‘no signals’ commuter railway between Finsbury Park and Moorgate in 2025, while some Great Northern services began using digital signalling in the Welwyn to Hitchin area in August 2026.
ETCS supervises train speed and can bring a train to a stop when necessary. The programme is intended to improve the efficiency, reliability and environmental performance of railway services over the longer term.
Chris Hobden, Network Rail’s programme director for the East Coast Digital Programme, said the approval was “a pivotal achievement” for a retrofitted fleet. He added that the Grand Central Class 180s would “point the way for further major passenger fleets” to use digital signalling between Welwyn and Hitchin during 2027.
Steve Wilson, Alstom’s project director, said reaching APiS for the Class 180, the company’s first passenger fleet retrofit, was “a significant milestone” and marked the start of the next phase, including fault-free running and preparation for ETCS Level 2 operation.
Angel Trains asset management director Matthew Prosser said retrofitting ETCS was “highly complex” and that the installation would provide greater operational flexibility while supporting skilled jobs in the supply chain.