Railway signal system gets upgrade after 40 years

3 hours ago

Tom Jacksonand

Aimee Dexter,Cambridgeshire

News image — Kevin Wolloughby says the new equipment is more reliable, easier to replace, and compatible with the European system

Tom Jackson/BBC Kevin Wolloughby is on the left of the image. He is wearing a blue shirt with a navy jumper, and is standing in front of two large screens which are showing the railways in Cambridgeshire. — Kevin Wolloughby says the new equipment is more reliable, easier to replace, and compatible with the European system

A signalling system has undergone a major upgrade after 40 years to incorporate additions to a city's railway network.

The system, at the signal box located at Cambridge station, was replaced as part of the city's Re-signalling, Relock & Recontrol (C3R) programme.

It was the second phase of a £200m project to renew the county's signalling system, adding Cambridge South station, which Network Rail said would improve efficiency and reliability for passengers and freight users.

Kevin Wolloughby, local operations manager at Network Rail, said: "The equipment which has replaced it is far more reliable, easier to replace, and compatible with the European system as well."

Network Rail said it had closed railways around the city during the Christmas and new year period to complete the work.

It said the C3R programme would also help to improve the safety at seven level crossings.

Network Rail An old train signalling system which has a clock at the time. There are lots of buttons and panels, and there are books on the table. — Wolloughby said some of the previous signalling equipment dated back to the 1960s and 1970s

Tom Jackson/BBC A new train signalling system is on four large computer screens which has train routes on it. — The new system was updated as part of a £200m project

The old NX panel for the Cambridge area was replaced with a new digital MCS-Infinity workstation, Network Rail said.

Signalling systems help to control the movement and speed of trains.

Talking about the old system, Wolloughby said: "It dates back to 1982, but some of the relays were from the 70s and maybe even the 60s."

He said it was "probably testament to English engineering" as to why it still worked 40 years on.

Cambridge South station, on Francis Crick Avenue at the city's biomedical campus, was due to open in early 2026.

Network Rail said it now hoped to open to passengers in June after delays.

Tom Jackson/BBC Sallie Bates is standing in the middle. She is outside of Cambridge's train station and has long blonde hair. She is wearing a blue jacket. — Sallie Bates said the work took 11 days over the Christmas and New Year period

Sallie Bates, sponsor for C3R project at Network Rail, said the project was to install modern assets to make it compatible with other systems, to make it more reliable and easier to maintain.

"We have essentially removed the old exit entry panel, which was a big magnetic panel... and installed brand new workstations which is all digitalised," she said.

As part of the work, Network Rail said it recontrolled nine level crossings using Alstom's ElectroLogix system.

Network Rail said there were two stages left of the project, including recontrolling other lines and improving level crossings in parts of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

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