Alstom has celebrated the receipt of regulatory approval – Authorisation for Placing into Service (APiS) – for the ‘first in class’ fitment of the European Train Control System (ETCS) on its Class 180 fleet, which is operated by Grand Central.
The achievement is anticipated to pave the way for the wider fleet of ten vehicles, all of which have been retrofitted with digital signalling equipment by Alstom, to operate with ETCS enabled, as well as move the country’s first high-speed digitally signalled services a step closer.
Arriva Group open access operator Grand Central will see their Angel Trains-owned fleet undergo a series of software updates before entering an extended period of 50,000 miles of ‘fault free running’ in December. Additionally, the company’s train drivers are now being trained in the use of Level National Train Control (L-NTC) mode, which is used to operate ETCS fitted trains over conventionally signalled routes.
Steve Wilson, Project Director at Alstom, said:Reaching APiS for the Class 180 – our first passenger fleet retrofit – is a significant milestone and the culmination of years of hard work, determination and technical innovation.
It is a real testament to the collaborative approach across Alstom, Grand Central, Angel Trains, the National Joint ROSCO Project and the East Coast Digital Programme. I would like to recognise everyone, past and present, who has contributed to getting us to this point.
APiS is an important achievement but it is also the start of the next phase of our journey. Our focus now turns to supporting the fleet through fault-free running and towards ETCS Level 2 operation on the East Coast Main Line in 2027.
Built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001; Grand Central’s Class 180 fleet is expected to begin using digital in-cab signalling (ETCS Level 2) on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between Welwyn and Hitchin by Spring 2027.
The Class 180 fleet is maintained by Alstom out of their Crofton Depot near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, and their retrofitting to incorporate ETCS is expected to enable the delivery of efficient, reliable and greener services over the long-term. It also forms part of the introduction of the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which seeks to introduce digital in-cab signalling on the southern part of the East Coast Main Line.
In 2025, the ECDP enabled delivery of the UK’s first ‘no signals’ commuter railway, between Finsbury Park and Moorgate, and, since August 2026, some Great Northern services have begun using digital signalling in the Welwyn to Hitchin area on the ECML. More fleets and services are expected to begin using digital signalling during 2027.
