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It’s been revealed today that the East Coast Main Line is set to become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350 million of new investment to install electronic signalling designed to cut journey times and slash delays.
A digital system will replace conventional signalling, that will allow trains to talk to the track, making journeys safer and reduce signal failures.
Announcing the funding, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said “the Victorians gave us the world’s first great rail network and now it’s our turn to be modern transport pioneers and build on that great tradition”.
He continues saying that this is just the beginning, with plans to digitise signalling right across the country in time.
Train commuters should be given travel flexibility by their bosses to avoid swamping severely-limited public transport, Scottish ministers have urged.
The article in The Scotsman comes as the wearing of face coverings on transport became mandatory in Scotland from today.
An extra 75,000 people a day are expected to travel by public transport in Scotland – a one-third increase – as part of the latest stage of lockdown easing.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has appealed to people to continue to limit their travel as much as possible.
Network Rail is beginning a programme of work at Milngavie station to extend the platforms in an investment that aims to deliver greater operational flexibility on the line.
The work represents an investment of over £5 million in the infrastructure, which will help improve performance.
Finally, and rare whale bones and a 17th century cannonball are among the artefacts found by the teams working on the Edinburgh Trams to Newhaven project.
Some of these were dug up around the city’s Constitution Street and have been described as of historical importance.
Archaeologists from GUARD Technology are undertaking the work under the oversight of Morrison Utility Services.
Keep up to date here with all the UK rail news.
Photo credit: Network Rail
