New technology that could improve rail signalling and cut delays won’t be fully installed in Britain until at least 2060.
Infrastructure problems – including signal failures – are the biggest cause of train delays on the network, accounting for around a third in total.
Currently, the vast majority of lines use the same “traffic light” signals which have been around for more than 100 years.
The latest as extra police deployed to Middlesbrough
Hundreds of extra police officers have been drafted in after a series of deadly incidents in Middlesbrough.
Series of violent incidents
A spate of violent incidents has occurred in Middlesbrough in recent days:
- On Saturday, a head-on car crash killed two police officers and five young men.
- On Wednesday, a house fire claimed the lives of a seven-year-old girl and her aunt.
- Other reported incidents have included a stabbing and properties being rammed by cars.
- Videos shared on social media appeared to show several cars on fire at a vigil on Thursday night for one of the men killed in the crash.
Multiple blazes
The house fire in Grangetown, east of Middlesbrough, on Wednesday killed Natalie McDonald, 34, and seven-year-old Valentina Foster and injured four others.
On Thursday evening, videos shared on social media seemingly showed several cars on fire in Haswell, County Durham, at a vigil where balloons were released in tribute to one of the men killed in the A66 crash.
Investigations ongoing
- Local police have not ruled out a link between the crash and the fatal house fire.
- Several arrests following the crash are reportedly part of investigations into alleged organised crime.
- Meanwhile, two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the house fire.
5 min read
Car torching ‘unacceptable’
Meanwhile, Durham Constabulary said the behaviour of the crowd who set fire to a number of cars was “completely unacceptable”.
Police were called out to a private field shortly after 5.30pm on Thursday, where five vehicles were wrecked as a large crowd gathered to release balloons, flares, and fireworks.
Nobody was injured and the officers deemed it safest to let the vehicles burn-out. No arrests were made in connection with that incident.
Watch more from The i Paper
200 extra officers on the ground
Amid the incidents, which local MP Andy McDonald described as “terrorism”, councillors revealed 200 extra police officers from forces including the National Crime Agency were helping under-pressure Cleveland Police staff with investigations.
4 min read
People are saying they are going to their shops and not feeling safe to do so and feeling trapped in their own homes. That is just unacceptable. This is terrorism and we’ve got to have an appropriate response to deal with the people who are causing such mayhem in our communities and to allow people to lead their peaceful lives.
andy mcdonald, labour mp for middlesbrough and thornaby east
Thunderstorms and heavy rain could hit large parts of the country over the bank holiday weekend, forecasters have warned.
New weather warning
A new yellow warning has been issued by the Met Office for heavy showers and thunderstorms which could cause travel disruption and flooding across much of England and Wales.
The warning, in place from midday until 9pm on Friday, means flooding of some homes and businesses is likely, trains may be delayed and car journeys may take longer.
2 min read
5 min read
Where could be affected?
- The thunderstorm warning covers most of Wales plus southwestern and northwestern England and both the East and West Midlands.
- Yorkshire and Humber could also be affected, as could much of eastern and central England, as well as London.
- Thunderstorms will bring 10-20mm of short-lived rain in a few places with the potential for 30-40mm where there are repeated downpours, the Met Office said.
Fresh flood alerts
Meanwhile, fresh flood warnings and alerts have been issued after dozens of homes were damaged by flood water following widespread drought conditions.
As of Friday lunchtime, there was a warning for expected flooding at Walverden Water at Nelson, Lancashire, while 10 areas were covered by Environment Agency flood alerts, meaning floods are possible.
An unsettled weekend
- The unsettled weather is set to continue through Monday.
- Some sunny spells are expected to be mixed with more heavy rain and possible thunderstorms.
- Fresh westerly winds will also make it feel blustery.
- Scotland is likely to be wettest on Monday while England and Wales can expect some sun and showers.
2 min read
Currys and Wickes join plug-in solar roll-out
The price of plug-in solar panels is expected to drop to under £600 in the weeks ahead, with more retailers beginning to sell the renewables kits.
First steps
British company UKSOL, selling its , has become the first supplier to meet regulatory compliance for the devices.
The 460W panels are on sale through Argos and builders’ merchant City Plumbing, with more retailers expected to follow after new rules allowing sales of plug-in solar products in the UK came into force on Thursday.
Wickes and Currys join solar rush
Wickes said it would be making plug-in solar available to its customers “in the coming weeks” while Currys said it was working to make these products “available to UK households as soon as possible, including through both our website and larger stores”.
Lidl, Asda, B&Q, Screwfix and Amazon have all expressed interest in the self-install kits but are yet to offer an update on their release.
3 min read
3 min read
Price drops to come
- UKSOL said pre-orders were in the “low thousands” for its £699 single-panel kit and £999 two-panel kits.
- The company plans to launch four more models in October.
- This will include a slightly cheaper single-panel kit, priced from £599.
- The Government expects single-panel kits to “settle” between £400 and £600 as retailers roll them out.
3 min read
Watch more from The i Paper
Rockstar releases GTA VI preview
- The “extended look” debuted on Netflix on Thursday evening.
- Six hours later, it was released by Rockstar Games on YouTube.
- It comes more than 18 months after the last official teaser trailer.
Dual protagonists
New footage featured sprawling cityscapes, gun battles and high-speed pursuits while offering a glimpse of the game’s new graphics and world-building.
What else to expect
- The preview showed the couple fighting their way out of a drug pick-up after a police raid.
- Vice City, which featured in previous editions of the series, also reappears in GTA VI.
- Meanwhile, players’ actions can reportedly control how the characters’ story unfolds.
4 min read
No word yet on GTA Online
The footage illustrated GTA VI’s new and improved graphics, worthy of a game with a budget reportedly among the most expensive in video game history.
Rockstar, however, has yet to release details about GTA Online, having previously confirmed the game would launch initially as a “single-player experience”.
The Man I Am
5 min read
Improved graphics in GTA VI
Not long to wait now…
Pre-orders for the long-awaited game, which will be the popular franchise’s first instalment since 2013, began on 25 June.
GTA VI is set to be available on Xbox and PlayStation consoles with a planned release date of 19 November, having been delayed on a number of occasions.
3 min read
3 min read
The European Train Control System (ETCS) lets drivers use a digital screen in their cab rather than looking for lineside signals, and was first trialled on the Cambrian line, which runs between Shrewsbury in Shropshire and mid and north Wales, in 2010.
However, progress has been slow since then, with the Northern City Line in London the first commuter route to get the technology last year.
By comparison, other European countries have moved much faster, with 40 per cent of rolling stock expected to be equipped by 2030. More than 90 per cent of track has been set up for ETCS in Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, though progress has been much slower in natoins such as France and Germany.
Signals roll-out ‘already behind schedule’
Network Rail says it plans to spend £1.4bn installing the new digital signalling system on the East Coast Main Line, with live testing currently taking place and the project scheduled for completion in the early 2030s.
But reports suggest the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which was first launched in 2017, is behind schedule and over budget.
Trade publication recently reported that work on the first “Class 66” trains due to have ETCS is behind schedule. The system had been due to be installed by March this year between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin.
Network Rail confirmed although seven freight locomotives have now been fitted with the system, none are yet in service.
It is understood the first will return to operation “within the next few months”.
Network Rail told MPs it planned to roll out ETCS nationwide by 2060, but experts now think even that date may be optimistic.
“This is a situation where we have a rolling programme of upgrades but it has the worst aspects of project management,” said Dennis. “There are mistakes in the way it’s being delivered. Ideally, you would build up the team and then deliver it around the country.”
‘It doesn’t solve all our problems’
ETCS continues to prompt debate within the rail industry over how much benefit it can bring.
Independent rail consultant William Barter said he believes it should lead to fewer delays, adding: “You would expect that because there’s less fixed equipment to fail. Logically it should be more reliable and it should be safer as well.
“I think the strongest argument is that it should be cheaper to renew a signalling system with ETCS than to try and build or commission a like-for-like replacement.”
However, Barter is unconvinced by claims that the new system could also improve capacity on the network. “I think that is very dubious,” he added. “I don’t think ETCS solves all our problems.”
Transport writer Christian Wolmar agreed ETCS was unlikely to be rolled out across Britain’s entire network “because it won’t be necessary on small branch lines and the like”.
He said the slow roll-out was partly down to the historically fragmented nature of the industry, which means Network Rail has been responsible for infrastructure and train operators for running services, while private companies own rolling stock.
Wolmar expects the situation to improve under Labour’s nationalisation plan under the banner of Great British Railways (GBR).
“The train operators were always reluctant to spend money on things like this [ETCS] because they don’t get the benefit from it,” he said. “The fragmentation of the rail network delayed the introduction of innovation because of the different ambitions of train operators and Network Rail.
“There’s certainly a better structure under Great British Railways – it will be better able to cope with innovation.”
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Digital in-cab signalling, using ETCS, will deliver a more efficient, more reliable, greener and even safer railway in the long term. It involves less reliance on trackside equipment and gives better ability respond to disruption and delays. It supervises the train’s speed and can bring it to a stop if needed, providing an additional safety measure.
“Making a change across track and train is challenging but our industry partnership has achieved the first ‘no signals’ commuter railway (Finsbury Park to Moorgate) and is about to begin the first digitally signalled services on the East Coast Main Line.
“Pioneering work like retrofitting decades-old locomotives involves cost but we learn by doing. We now have seven freight locos fitted and we’re reducing delivery times.”
The Department for Transport were contacted for comment.