from the industrial revolution

GTR

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FROM THE

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONTO THE

DIGITAL REVOLUTION

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THE GTR ESSAYS 2018

GTR Essays (27th April) Internal pages v8.indd 1 27/04/2018 15:38

Intro to Essays

W elcome to the GTR Essays, the first in a series of reports looking at the future of travel and of our railways. This edition looks at the Digital

Railway: what it means, how we are delivering it and why it will benefit passengers. In the spirit of collaboration that has always been fundamental to this industry, these Essays have been produced in partnership with the wide range of organisations, businesses and passenger groups that work together on a daily basis to maintain, enhance and improve our railways. However, these essays also look beyond the railways and draw from a range of perspectives from across different industries and sectors - including advanced manufacturing, aerospace and fin tech. Not only do these sectors engage with the rail industry in different and surprising ways, they also have much to teach us in terms of innovation, modernisation and transformation. As the title of this Essay Series suggests, the fourth industrial revolution is here. The digital revolution is fundamentally changing the way we live, play, work and travel. This profound convergence of industry and technology will boost efficiency, enhance productivity and create opportunity. Most significantly, the Digital Revolution is disrupting almost every industry and the breadth and depth of these changes will mean the transformation of entire systems. The railways are embracing this disruption, and, as these essays set out, seizing the opportunities this provides. GTR would like to thank all the contributors to this edition of the series and hope our readers enjoy them.

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION


OFOREWORD

ur society is already experiencing the benefits new technology brings, from our communication, to travel options and work preferences. As a Government we are overseeing one of the UK’s most vital industries in

delivering productivity and change for both passengers and the wider economy the railway serves. In an era when every sector must modernise and adapt, I believe that an innovative rail industry is essential. That is why the Digital Railway is so important. This Government’s vision is of a rail sector that uses digital technology to drive improved performance, and reduce financial and environmental costs. As the contributors to this Essay Series explain, embracing digitisation, automation, modern signalling and train control technology can deliver enormous benefits. The Government has committed £450m towards the acceleration of digital railway solutions. Combined with traditional upgrades to make our existing infrastructure work smarter and more efficiently, we will be able to increase capacity, reduce delays and better meet the needs of passengers. This Government’s £7bn investment in the Thameslink Programme reflects this vision. It is a bold programme which will transform travel across London and the wider South East by introducing new infrastructure, new technology and new trains on an expanded Thameslink network. It is our investment in the Digital Railway that will allow Thameslink trains to travel from London St Pancras to Blackfriars, and vice versa, every two and a half minutes. It is this frequency of service that will meet the needs of an expanding London metropolis. The evolution of our railways over the last two centuries has always relied on, and required, ambition and collaboration. The essays in this series provide a thought-provoking look at these twin drivers of change. You will find a range of


perspectives on innovation; from infrastructure and rolling stock to train operation and passenger engagement. But these essays also look beyond the railways, to other sectors and industries that have embraced new technologies to transform the service they provide. We are reminded that rail is not an isolated sector, but a growth industry which must learn from the experience of other businesses and services. I would like to thank Govia Thameslink Railway for bringing these diverse perspectives together. This Government has a vision of a railway which responds to changing technology and demand with ambition and an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit – ensuring it remains one of the finest in the world. As many of these essays point out, we are all responsible for ensuring this vision is fulfilled and must work together to make sure this happens.

Jo Johnson MPMinister for London and Minister of State for Transport


CONTENTS

The GTR Essays 2018 1

DELIVERING THE DIGITAL RAILWAY 2

David Waboso, Managing Director, Network Rail

DIGITAL IN THE CHANGING RAILWAY 6

Charles Horton, CEO, Govia Thameslink Railway

THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE 12

Anthony Smith, CEO, Transport Focus

THE TECHNOLOGY 16

Gordon Wakeford, Managing Director of Mobility Division, Siemens plc

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT 21

Jasmine Whitbread, CEO, London First

DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: AN OVERVIEW 25

Nick Wright, Head of Digital Manufacturing, the Digital Catapult

DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: AEROSPACE 30

Mark Scully, Head of Technology for Advanced Systems & Propulsion,

Aerospace Technology Institute

DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: FIN TECH 34

Nick Mackie, Head of Contactless & Transit, Visa

DELIVERING THE DIGITAL RAILWAY


DIGITAL IN THE CHANGING RAILWAY


THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE


THE TECHNOLOGY


THE ECONOMIC IMPACT


DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: AN OVERVIEW


DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: AEROSPACE

Mark Scully, Head of Technology for Advanced Systems & Propulsion, Aero-

space Technology Institute

DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: FIN TECH



DELIVERING THE DIGITAL RAILWAY


2 The GTR Essays 2018


I


also currently undergoing massive modernisation, to deliver improvements such as Crossrail (the Elizabeth Line), HS2 and Thameslink - a multi-billion pound programme funded by the Government and delivered by Network Rail with its partners- the Train Operating Companies Govia Thameslink Railway and Southeastern Trains.

But this growth means the network is constantly stretched to – and sometimes beyond – capacity. For economic growth, we need a mobile, flexible workforce supported by an efficient and affordable network. One of the key ways to get there is by switching to digital signalling, which will deliver a lower whole of life cost railway and unlock capacity on existing lines.

Digital signalling (the European Train Control System or ETCS) is part of the Digital Railway Strategy. It’s the right thing for the network, for the country and for our customers.

As the Thameslink Programme has already started to demonstrate through its recent demonstration of the first train controlled under Automatic Train Operation (ATO), digital signalling and train control are the rail sector’s new technology – as transformative as machine learning or AI. We must now

n a speech last September, Network Rail CEO Mark Carne said:

“We as a railway need to wake up and recognise that if we don’t move faster, and with more aggression and more determination, the [transport] industry is going to change around us.”

I agree with Mark and nowhere is this truer than in contemplating the opportunity in front of us now. I believe we have a once-in-a-generation chance to build on our glorious past and to modernise the network and build the foundations of a better-performing, safer network, which delivers benefits for passengers and puts the railway on a sustainable footing.

Over the last ten to fifteen years, Britain’s railway network has seen demand growth that any business would be proud of. It is

n a speech last September, Network Rail CEO Mark Carne said:

“We as a railway need to wake up and recognise that if we don’t move faster, and with more aggression and more determination, the [transport] industry is going to change around us.”

I agree with Mark and nowhere is this truer than in contemplating the opportunity in front of us now. I believe we have a once-in-a-generation chance to build on our glorious past and to modernise the network and build the foundations of a better-performing, safer network, which delivers benefits for passengers and puts the railway on a sustainable footing.

Over the last ten to fifteen years, Britain’s railway network has seen demand growth that any business would be proud of. It is also currently undergoing massive modernisation, to deliv-er improvements such as Crossrail (the Elizabeth Line), HS2 and Thameslink - a multi-billion pound programme funded by the Government and delivered by Network Rail with its part-ners- the Train Operating Companies Govia Thameslink Railway and Southeastern Trains.

But this growth means the network is constantly stretched to – and sometimes beyond – ca-pacity. For economic growth, we need a mobile, flexible workforce supported by an efficient and affordable network. One of the key ways to get there is by switching to digital signalling, which will deliver a lower whole of life cost railway and unlock capacity on existing lines.

Digital signalling (the European Train Control System or ETCS) is part of the Digital Railway Strategy. It’s the right thing for the network, for the country and for our customers.

As the Thameslink Programme has already started to demonstrate through its recent demonstration of the first train controlled under Automatic Train Operation (ATO), digital sig-nalling and train control are the rail sector’s new technology – as transformative as machine learning or AI. We must now work together as a whole rail industry to adopt digital signalling and train control so we can bring the benefits coming now to London to other key parts of the country.

Our signalling renewals cycle dictates that over half of our key signalling assets need to be replaced within the next 15 years. If we do not embrace this new technology, we will be locked into using conventional colour light signalling for approximately another 30 years – another generation. When you compare that possibility with the rate of change in the auto-motive sector, you realise that it would be unthinkable there.

The truth is that the current infrastructure cannot deliver the improvements – especially the capacity and performance levels – we need at key pinch points on the network.Delivery of our flagship infrastructure projects such as the Thameslink Programme demon-strates that digital train control and signalling can and will bring major benefits to passengers



By fundamentally changing our approach to how we deliver a railway using digital technology we can use this technology to get more out of our existing assets. During my time here I have been very clear that Thameslink is the jewel in the crown of the Digital Railway. I want to acknowledge the excellent work of our High Capacity Infrastructure (HCI) team led by Project Director Martin Chatfield, which now provides a firm foundation for the roll out of digital railway technology on the rest of our network, and critically starts to build UK industry capability and experience for the future roll out of Digital Railway.

The Digital Railway team is already well advanced with planning and with pilot projects. In addition to the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) funded pilots of first-in-class train ETCS fitment and digital test facilities, we are trialling the ‘Luminate’ digital train management system on the Paddington to Bristol route. This is not just about the technology, but a new type of contracting arrangement with our supplier Resonate Ltd, which means minimal upfront cost and a shared benefits agreement. Also, the Digital Railway programme team has secured and locked in highly competitive prices for the freight fitment programme from Siemens that will be needed as a

work together as a whole rail industry to adopt digital signalling and train control so we can bring the benefits coming now to London to other key parts of the country.

Our signalling renewals cycle dictates that over half of our key signalling assets need to be replaced within the next 15 years. If we do not embrace this new technology, we will be locked into using conventional colour light signalling for approximately another 30 years – another generation. When you compare that possibility with the rate of change in the automotive sector, you realise that it would be unthinkable there.

The truth is that the current infrastructure cannot deliver the improvements – especially the capacity and performance levels – we need at key pinch points on the network.

Delivery of our flagship infrastructure projects such as the Thameslink Pro-gramme demonstrates that digital train control and signalling can and will bring major benefits to passengers through the heart of London. Coupled with the soon to be commissioned Elizabeth Line we will start to demonstrate for the first time on our mainline network the benefits I was able to help make a reality on the Victoria, Northern and Jubilee Lines.



driver training for new modes of operation and track-train integration with the new technologies, will prove invaluable for future deployments. With the firm foundation of Thameslink, CP6 will mark the tipping point in the evolution of our rail network as we continue to deliver what passenger want and need.

foundation for delivering the Digital Railway Strategy which we will be launching in early May 2018. Subject to funding our plans for CP6 and beyond will build on the lessons learnt from the first phase schemes to roll out three further Traffic Management schemes and four additional ETCS based schemes to key routes. Our aim is that in 16 years’ time by the end of CP8 we should have achieved coverage of around 70% of the network.

The strategy will also help provide a better customer experience: we welcome the Secretary of State’s past comments that the rail industry must seek to put passengers and freight companies at the heart of all decisions taken for rail. Transport Focus’s recently-published Rail Passenger Priorities for Improvement identifies passengers’ top three priorities as value for money, getting a seat and service reliability: Digital signalling and train control can play a significant part in improving all three.

The whole rail industry is ready to embrace the changes we need, and projects like Thameslink will lead us smoothly into CP6. It has already demonstrated this is not just a technology and infrastructure based transformation, but a whole rail system one and the learning such as how best to approach


DIGITAL IN THE CHANGING RAILWAY




F


overnight, but since my early days as a customer facing employee, I have witnessed and played a part in delivering the many incremental changes that have helped evolve our railway for the future.

But once in a generation we have a chance to truly transform. Take the biggest recent revolution of them all as an example – the internet. Incremental developments in communications from the introduction of the telegraph, radio, telephone and computer paved the way for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. It represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of innovation, transforming a common need into a revolution with limitless potential.

The railway is also ready to unlock the capabilities of that potential. A digital railway will not only transform our journeys but the way in which we live, work and play for generations to come. And Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is at the heart of this revolution.

The London commuter rail network has witnessed the most extraordinary growth over the last two decades, as the city has grown by over one million people since the early 1990s to become one of the busiest, most cosmopolitan

rom the age of steam to that of diesel, to electrification and now

to digitisation, the history of the railway has always been a story of perpetual change. Technologies and innovations are trialled, introduced and perfected, all in search of better ways to serve passengers with modern trains carrying more people on upgraded infrastructure with improved working practices.

I started my railway journey on London Underground where I served as Guard on the Northern Line. People under 40 years of age tend to react with shock to discover the Tube used to have Guards on board as recently as the late 1990s. But it did, and if you go back to 1986, I was one of them. But new investment turned what was the ‘misery line’ back then into one of the best performing on the network. Revolutions don’t happen



Britain’s economy and its society. But as every commuter knows, with growth comes growing pains. We have all witnessed those pains with busy trains operated on a congested network, and the impacts of any service disruption magnifying in what feels like an instant.

Quite simply, we need more trains to run more reliably and more frequently in order to meet passenger demand now and for generations to come. We cannot respond to this growth by doing what we’ve always done. We need to do things differently, and an incremental approach just won’t do.

That’s where Rail Plan 20/20 comes in. The £7 billion Thameslink Programme is delivering new infrastructure, better stations, new trains and new technologies, all culminating in the introduction of Britain’s first digital railway.

As others in this Essay Series will explain, a digital railway means using digital technologies to allow more trains to run more reliably and more frequently. It opens up the opportunity for automated train operation, with the driver overseeing the operation rather than manually ‘driving’ the trains. It also means remote monitoring systems increasing the reliably of rolling stock, signalling and track assets,

capitals in the world - the global megacity it is today.

The facts are truly startling. The GTR network has experienced a doubling of passenger numbers in just 16 years. On our Southern Railway services, that growth rate has been even faster, with numbers doubling in just 12 years.

Our predecessors in the 1980s predicted a decline in rail travel, so investment was neglected, and efforts focused elsewhere in our transport networks. But since then, Britain has changed and the way we travel has changed beyond recognition. We need to respond to that.

Commuting patterns have altered. We are travelling longer distances more regularly and at different times, both between cities and rural destinations and we are relying on our public transport networks more than ever before. Rail travel has become a more productive experience too – with new technology, including Wi-Fi, turning your train journey into a useful working environment,unlike a generation ago. Nationally, a railway which was predicted to stagnate now carries more than 1.7bn (yes, billion) journeys each and every year.

Overall, that story of success is wonderful news for all of us who believe in the part the railway has to play in



better, more efficiently and more safely through use of new technology, but passengers still want to see a human face.

The Thameslink routes are the first to benefit from these digital railway technologies, but we should lift our horizons as to the potential they offer on all commuter routes into London. The lines into all the main termini are hugely congested because of the vast demand growth.

Adding capacity through conventionalmeans – ever longer trains requiring ever longer platforms for example – can work in some cases but it is expensive, hugely complex and potentially disruptive during the process, as we witnessed with the long closure of Waterloo last summer.

But if we can upgrade these lines through digital means, we can do it much more smartly. If we can get 24 trains per hour through the two-track Thameslink core, what capacity might we be able to unlock across the wider network?

The benefits will not just be in capacity terms either. The combination of public and private investment going into the railway is set to boost the UK’s economy by almost £85bn, benefiting every

moving from find-and-fix maintenance to a predict-and-prevent approach. All of this will operate and rely on improved infrastructure managed by Network Rail, which is also undergoing extensive modernisation works on track, signalling and new tunnels as part of Rail Plan 20/20.

For passengers, this will mean more trains running more regularly and more punctually to more destinations. With the new Thameslink beginning its phased opening this month, Britain will have its first digital railway in operation, which over time will mean no less than 24 trains running in each direction, in peak hours, through the central core. That’s a train every two and a half minutes in old money. People say that’s a tube-style service, but it’s even better. Journeys will be on be on one of the 115 brand new, congestion-busting overground trains, the magnificent Siemens Class 700, which has much more space for passengers than any tube train you might encounter.

For those of us who work in the industry our jobs are changing too. The future railway will remain a big employer, but the jobs of the future will be more orientated towards customers and technology, rather than operational tasks and some of the more hands-on side of maintenance. Much of that can be done



My railway journey began working on the back of a tube train. I am convinced that it will end with me paying for my travel from my front door to my ultimate destination. When the weather is good I shall cycle, but otherwise I will be collected by a driverless car, or demand responsive bus, to take me to my station to connect with a train running on a digital railway. The car or bus and the train will be ‘speaking’ with each other so I will arrive at the station with just enough time to buy a coffee before my train arrives into the platform.

At the other end of the journey, the process will be repeated with my driverless car or bus ready to carry me the ‘last mile’ if I am unable to continue by tube, bicycle or foot.

When we put this rapid change into perspective, the success on the railways over the last two decades has been hugely underestimated. Especially taking into account serving an ever-increasing passenger demand using ageing technology and infrastructure.

Despite that, we now run more trains than ever before, carry more passengers than ever before, and more safely than ever before. Imagine where innovation and investment will take us next.

region of Britain.

As Network Rail explain in their essay, a digital railway may in fact be cheaper than the incremental improvements of past. We need to re-signal some 60% of the network over the coming 15 years anyway, which will cost around £20bn if done conventionally. But by doing it digitally and integrated with rolling stockprocurement there are actually huge efficiencies to be found. And the operating costs of a digital railway should be lower too, as we are able to move more equipment away from the trackside and onto the trains, where it is safer, more efficient and easier to maintain within a secure depot, rather than asking railway workers to maintain equipment at night, in the dark, at the trackside.

This revolution has started with Thameslink but the potential is nationwide and my ambition is for the brand to become a model of excellence for others across the world. Our technology can be used in diverse contexts, not only transforming urban commutes but also on lightly used rural railways, through high-speed lines and on improving rail freight systems. Digital technology also allows our transport networks to integrate as ‘Mobility-as-a-Service’ starts to take off.



I never lose sight of the fact that we are today’s stewards of our railway and our responsibility is to constantly seek to improve, and to hand this great national asset over to our successors in a better state than we found it.

The railway laid the foundations of modern Britain in the 19th Century. But now we are ready for the fourth industrial revolution and our technology is ready to take centre stage once again.



THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE




care if something is supplied digitally or any other way as long as it works. However, digital technology has the power to make a real difference to passengers’ daily lives.

How do we know what rail passengers want?

The Transport Focus National Rail Passenger Survey is the world’s largest published work on passenger satisfaction. An Official Statistic, it covers 20 weeks in each year and has been running for almost 20 years.

NRPS data is fresh, asking passengers about the journey they have completed. It is representative - every year more than 65,000 passengers take part. It is used to benchmark train companies and Network Rail, in franchise agreements, and is widely used by the industry.

Overall satisfaction with the journey was 81% nationally. We know the key factor driving satisfaction is performance. The factor driving the smaller number of dissatisfied passengers is how delays are dealt with, followed by performance.

Our work on trust between passengers and the rail industry reinforces this. We asked current passengers across Great Britain what was driving their trust – and unsurprisingly, the answer is performance.

hat do rail passengers want? ‘On time and a seat please...’

As I stand waiting at Balham for a train to Victoria what do I want? The train should arrive on time at both Balham and Victoria. Though I might not stop to think about it, I want the trip to be safe. Frequent enough trains so that I do not need a timetable. Getting a seat would be nice, but at the least not to be so crushed that I cannot do anything. Finally, if there are delays I need timely and useful information.

In the longer term, it would be good if the prices didn’t inexorably go up every year. This summarises the main hopes that most passengers have as they set off on their journeys. How, if at all, could digital developments help?

On one level, passengers probably do not

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Passengers’ key priorities for improvement focus on more chance of getting a seat, more reliable trains, fewer unplanned disruptions and fewer cancellations. Less disruption due to engineering work and more frequent trains also feature. So, the ability of digital technology to make the railway network more robust and more frequent (better signalling should allow more trains to operate on the same track) will really meet passengers’ priorities.

Value for money: digital driving down costs?

One other factor really stands out among passenger priorities: improving value for money. This is a complex issue. Value ratings vary enormously by ticket type used, journey purpose and by region.

Leisure passengers, often less-frequent users, tend to score value for money more highly than commuters. Advance purchase ticket-holders (who can get hold of some very good value for money fares) tend to be more satisfied than annual season ticket holders. Passengers in London and the South East tend to give lower ratings overall.

Passengers now pay a higher proportion of the running costs of the railway than ten years ago. The £9bn passengers pour into the industry

When we tracked passenger emotions as another way of measuring satisfaction, it showed once again that performance is key. Satisfaction with performance dips dramatically as soon as trains start to be late, and passengers get irate after 30 minutes’ delay.

So, a clear message for the industry. Get more trains on time and you will keep your current passengers happier. Delay fewer passengers and you will annoy less with your handling of delays. Anything that digital technology can do to improve the reliability of trains and help with disruption information will feed straight though into improved passenger satisfaction. It’s the ability to get a seat that makes a commuter’s ordinary journey OK or good – and is the difference between a good day and a bad one for longer-distance travellers.

The ability of digital technology to allow more trains to run on the network will also drive passenger satisfaction, trust and how they feel about the journey.

What are passengers’ priorities for improvement?

As part of our contribution to the industry’s longer-term planning we asked nearly 13,000 current passengers across Great Britain about their priorities for improvement.



You say you want a digital revolution: that’s fine by me!

The white heat of digital technology should produce improvements for rail passengers as it has in other transport sectors and different industries. Digital should make operations more efficient in terms of punctuality and cost. Digital should be more reliable. Digital should make people’s jobs easier, giving access to better information. Digital should be more flexible for the future.

However, the passenger at Balham station will not want to know about digital for its own sake, but the things it will improve for them.

Also, don’t forget that processes should support people not the other way around. Use digital technology to support better decisions, better service and better care but always remember that, in a crisis, human beings turn toother human beings for help and support.

represents around 70% of the running costs. Fares regulation keeps a lid on the prices of some season tickets and off-peak returns, but years of above-inflation fare rises have driven many prices up.

While welcome Government investment is driving improvements in trains, track and stations, rising passenger numbers have outrun development in many places. The rail industry has struggled to deliver efficiencies and operational upgrades in a value for money fashion.

Passengers are willing to pay for a service as long as the basics are delivered - but the ability of digital railway to take the heat out of fare rises would be great. An announcement that fares will rise by less than inflation (measured by CPI not RPI please!), or indeed not at all, due to efficiency gains, would be a great gift.

What do future passengers want?

Our work with non or infrequent users underlines all of the above. Better value for money fares, more seats, more trains, more of which arrive on time with fewer disruptions and cancellations, will help passengers use trains more and attract non-users.



THE TECHNOLOGY




minutes during peak periods, providing 70% more peak time seats for passengers between London Blackfriars and St Pancras International by December 2019.

While delivering 40% more passengers per train than the outgoing fleet, the innovative design of the Class 700 means it is also 30% lighter than the train it replaces, delivering significantly reduced energy consumption, lower carbon dioxide emissions and reduced wear and tear on the rails and network infrastructure. Compared to first generation trains, the Class 700 costs 26% less to maintain, 30% less to clean and 40% less to operate, all of which contributes to significant whole life cost savings.

Combining the benefits of a commuter and a metro train, the Class 700 really is a train for the digital age. However, being ‘digitally-enabled’ not only improves the passenger experience (with a state-of-the-art information system providing advanced travel and connectivity information), it also delivers significant operational and cost benefits to the operator and maintainer, with diagnostic data being constantly communicated between the train and the Siemens service depot. This enables the live status of on-board train systems to be constantly monitored – and allows preventative maintenance to be

he solution that Siemens delivered for the Thameslink Programme is ‘vertically integrated’, meaning that we have

supplied the new trains, signalling and control systems. At the heart of this, and certainly the most visible element from the passengers’ viewpoint, is the new Siemens Class 700 Desiro City train.

Developed specifically for the Thameslink Programme, for train operator GTR, the all new Class 700 is the world’s first ‘second generation’ fully digitally-enabled train in passenger service, providing significantly increased passenger capacity as well as improved safety, security, comfort and economy.

GTR is set to accept the full fleet of 115 Class 700 trains by summer 2018 and by the end of 2019 the whole fleet will be in service and will flow in and out of central London every two and a half

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successfully use Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and the European Train Control System (ETCS) in the UK, these technologies being critical to the delivery of the additional capacity that is desperately needed for the core routes across London.

Siemens’ Trainguard ETCS system is at the heart of the Thameslink signalling and train control solution to support ATO and the programme’s requirement to reliably and safely achieve 24 trains per hour operation.

The introduction of the ETCS and ATO systems mean that when deployed across the Thameslink Core and London Bridge areas, all train movements are controlled automatically from Network Rail’s new Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre, with every train running at the optimised speed profile and intervals, performing accurate stopping, and maintaining a strict adherence to station dwell times.

On 26 March 2018, a major milestone in the programme was achieved, with GTR operating the UK’s first mainline train to use ATO and ETCS in passenger service, proving the operation of digital signalling on a critical part of the railway infrastructure and realising the future of train control. This represented a global first for Siemens as well as for the use of

undertaken when required.

This data not only informs the train’s maintenance systems, but also by processing information through Siemens Digital Operating Centre, station dwell time issues can be highlighted to train operators, and rail head information (in terms of profile and adhesion) can be passed to the infrastructure controller in real time. This predictive maintenance capability is another first for a mainline commuter train. Rather than a ‘fail and fix’ methodology, the systems can predict that something is going to fail, so that it can be maintained or replaced before it does.

The ever-increasing levels of traffic on the railways mean that the potential impact due to the failure of an asset is also greatly increased, and so the remote condition monitoring of the assets (trains, signalling equipment, civil structures, communication systems and the track) is an essential tool to help minimise disruption. There is also the added benefit that information gained from one system can be useful in finding out about the status of other systems - for example, the on-board systems could be configured to provide track data to the infrastructure maintainer.

Amongst a series of ‘firsts’, significantly the Class 700 is also the first mainline train to



performance of the train, the speed-distance profile it will follow and its exact position, then capacity can be increased and there is the potential to add more trains onto the network.

The knock-on effect of this predictability is that passengers are more confident in their train service. But ATO is not appropriate or cost-effective for every railway, so there is a secondary option where trains are still being driven manually - the Connected Driver Advisory System (CDAS). CDAS transmits information to the driver to slow down or speed up, or to advise them about events elsewhere on the railway that may affect their service.

Specifically, CDAS advises the optimum time for a train to arrive at a particular point on the railway, which also allows more efficient energy consumption. This has the potential to remove congestion and delays, which in turn also increases the capacity of the infrastructure.

As ETCS Level 2 (as deployed on Thameslink) is an in-cab signalling system, trackside signals only need to be retained to allow non-ETCS equipped trains to run. If trackside signals are not required on an ETCS scheme, then significant benefits arise from the reduced infrastructure requirement – for example, foundations do not need to be

this technology on an urban, high-density railway.

ETCS provides a constant radio data link between the radio and trackside, providing continuously updated information to the driver (or the ATO system) and continuously supervising train speed. Because ETCS makes sure that the train cannot move too far or too fast, safety is improved. Much more useful information is also provided to the drivers, so they can brake at the optimum point on the railway rather than having to drive according to the limited information available from signals, and if anything changes ahead, perhaps another train clearing a junction, the ETCS-controlled train can immediately speed up.

There are a number of technologies that can be deployed on a digitised railway to further increase capacity. ATO for instance provides a system which not only controls the train, but also helps to remove variations in the way trains are driven.

With different drivers inevitably having slightly different driving styles, ATO makes sure that trains are being driven at the optimum speed at each location along the track, optimising the use of the trackside infrastructure. This in turn enables operators to increase the accuracy of prediction, because if they know the



dug and filled with concrete and fewer signals mean fewer cables and fewer location cases, all of which would reduce the costs of signalling works. A reduction in the amount of infrastructure required for new ETCS schemes means there is less equipment to go wrong, and so reliability improves. Combining the best of the available and future technology will bring a wide range of benefits to the railway – including increased capacity, reduced cost and improved reliability.

Through the development and implementation of digital technologies, the UK is maintaining a leading role, enabling the industry to export that capability to other countries, with many of them in exactly the same situation, facing the same challenges of rapidly increasing demand.



THE ECONOMIC IMPACT




underinvestment compounds the challenge facing our capital.

Effective transportation is critical to the core strength of London and the South East, as a place where a wide range of economic opportunities exist in close proximity to each other. New and more frequent rail connections will support jobs growth and improve the viability of areas for commuter housing.

The economic impact at stake is large. Our recent report London 2036: an agenda for jobs and growth, highlighted how well over one million people travel into central London each day on services close to, or over, capacity. Assuming the number of rail passengers grows in line with London’s population projections, trains will become even more crowded, or simply full, and over 200,000 jobs would be at risk from not having the transport infrastructure to support commuter growth.

If a growing London is to fulfil its economic potential for the UK as a whole and maintain its competitive advantage globally, it needs a long-term plan and investment in housing and infrastructure, much of which is already operating at, or near, its limits. Major infrastructure and service transformations like Thameslink are a key component of that plan, alongside new infrastructure such as

ver the next year, journeys across London and the South East will be transformed for millions of

passengers through the introduction of new Thameslink and Crossrail services. For London businesses, this transformation will also be celebrated as a much-needed vote of confidence in our capital’s – and our country’s - continued economic success.

London is a leading global hub for talent, business, finance and tourism. It is a very productive city, with the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita in the European Union. The projected demographic growth of London to a city of 10 million people by the early 2030s is testimony to the capital’s continued attractiveness as a global city. Yet, as it grows, the infrastructure that enables the city to function comes under greater strain. A legacy of historic

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bottleneck has been relieved for Southeastern passengers, who will now have more reliable journeys.

Thanks to digital railway technology, by December 2019 Thameslink will offer a Tube-like service across the centre of London at the busiest times, with trains every two-three minutes.

Britain has been slow to introduce new digital technology onto our mainline railways. We should learn from our experience on Thameslink to press forward and make the digital railway a reality more widely across commuter routes, significantly increasing passenger capacity and journey reliability.

Over the coming year, the eyes of the world will be upon us as first Thameslink and then Crossrail come into operation. Our challenge now is to ensure that this moment marks the continuation of Britain’s rail renaissance, and not the end of the story.

After all, while high quality cross-city links are an innovation for London’s largely Victorian rail network, centred around terminals, Paris has had them for decades through its RER network - and through its Grand Paris express programme is planning more than 200km of new metro lines between now and 2030.

Crossrail, and the next priority for London business, Crossrail 2.

Thameslink will open up economic opportunities for businesses and commuters across the south east, many of whom have had to cope with reduced and disrupted services as necessary work on existing infrastructure has taken place. With the introduction of the new timetable, passengers will at last benefit from a range of improved rail connections. These include new connections across London for Peterborough and Cambridge, helping to support the continued growth of one of Europe’s most important technology clusters.

Thameslink will provide passengers from Bedford to Brighton with improved services to successful and growing airports at Luton and Gatwick, and for international Eurostar services via St Pancras. It will also interchange with Crossrail at Farringdon, providing a direct link to Heathrow Airport, and making the new Farringdon one of the best-connected places in the whole country. Passengers who use City Thameslink, Blackfriars, and of course the magnificent new London Bridge station will all benefit. And by untangling the track outside London Bridge, through a new junction at Bermondsey, a major



London’s status as a global hub must never be taken for granted. This is particularly true in light of the UK’s vote to leave the EU, which inevitably takes us into a period of significant uncertainty. One of the best ways Government can support firms and consumers, and support their future growth in London, is by getting to grips with longstanding domestic policy challenges. Foremost amongst these is the UK’s legacy of historic underinvestment in our essential infrastructure – and in our transport infrastructure in particular.

If London is to continue to grow sustainably and remain globally competitive, then its transport system must also continue to grow to keep London moving. Far-sighted transport planners of the 1970s and 80s envisioned three major cross-London links, and through Thameslink and Crossrail we are now on the verge of completing two of them. So, let’s celebrate Thameslink and Crossrail, and let’s now complete London’s missing link by giving the go-ahead to Crossrail 2.



DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: AN OVERVIEW




technologies will benefit individual companies and sectors and how they can be applied in individual companies. Solving these challenges requires more than just providing advice, rather driving early adoption through the development of solutions which show the way forward is essential. Proof of which is that our focus on the manufacturing sector as an area of high potential impact is already showing cross-sector application in the rail industry.

Advanced Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the manufacturing sector

Digital Catapult recently delivered a proof of concept for a military application using IoT technology to monitor high-value assets in the field. Military assets, which are stored in hard to reach and monitor locations, are impacted by a range of environmental factors. Knowledge of the conditions they are exposed to is limited, and this makes it impossible to know the current health or usability of assets without sending someone to assess them.

Digital Catapult ran a 10-week proof of concept to discover how IoT technology could be applied to monitor assets across complex global supply chains, including these hard to reach locations.

dvanced digital technologies offer significant growth opportunities for the UK and are vital to delivering the vision of a modern industrial economy, as set out in the Government’s Industrial Strategy. To help facilitate that, Digital Catapult is building upon the UK’s world leading companies, academic excellence and creativity to help address the commercial challenges and weaknesses holding us back. It is doing so through providing access to facilities that allow companies to test new products, services, experiences and business models and work collaboratively with early adopters.

There is a fragmented landscape of advanced digital technologies and a cultural divide between digital startups, scaleups and more traditional sectors such as manufacturing. There also exists a knowledge gap of how advanced digital

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equipment boxes, etc. which are located in open or confined spaces like tunnels. Using technologies like GPS and GIS and/or intelligent tagging, one can remotely access, accurately locate and identify these assets.

Additionally, Thales is looking to combine information about asset specification and location with other data gathered from visual surveys (i.e. photographs, videos, 3d scans), as well as techniques like LIDAR. This asset information needs to be accessible to engineering teams in the office, as well as maintenance staff that use hand held devices to identify assets on site.

Addressing this challenge, Digital Catapult discovered UK tech startup and scaleup companies that are exploring solutions in the following areas:

• GPS and GIS• Remote asset identification, asset

mapping and asset tagging• Data formatting, integration and

visualisation• Creating real-time site views

As part of a 12-week open innovation sprint known as a Pit Stop (a highly focused open innovation activity designed to accelerate the growth of new ideas), Digital Catapult was able to

During the proof of concept, Digital Catapult established a trial Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) at a client site and bought and programmed a number of environmental monitoring sensors which were attached to assets. Digital Catapult then ran trials to demonstrate that it is possible to successfully track and visualise the health of an asset in real-time, using leading-edge and low-cost IoT technologies.

The organisation then delivered an innovation strategy workshop to the client’s senior management team, demonstrating where LPWAN technology is going and how it is applicable to their challenges faced around asset management and maintenance.

But the application of this type of LPWAN technology doesn’t end there. On the contrary, it has been discovered that there are many potential applications for this technology in the rail sector, especially around rolling stock depots, where many different assets are frequently moved around. Here, the geo-location capability of LPWAN technology could add further value to environment and the process of condition monitoring.

Thales owns a number of assets in railways such as train signals, radios,



Overall out of Digital Catapult’s research, it was discovered that 5G will not solve the connectivity challenges in terms of ubiquitous access but will rather provide a flexible and dynamic solution to deliver against multiple use cases. In this way 5G will ensure that the technology will meet a high demand and challenging (often rural) environment. The main use cases identified from the research interviews included:

• Real time infotainment in vehicles and trains (enabling wireless on board - eMBB)

• Real time passenger information and positioning

• Autonomous trains (URLLC)• Network slicing provisioning to

serve both rail and road from single infrastructure bearer

Successful connectivity to transport routes is dependent on additional spectrum and infrastructure. For rural 5G deployments, shared infrastructure and spectrum could unlock significant opportunities for transport routes in the UK.

A major barrier however, could be the interoperability across borders and ensuring that there is a common approach and transition period towards 5G. That way, there will be minimal disruption to train services in Europe.

find innovative solutions using artificial intelligence and computer vision and use them to enable automatic detection of assets as inspections took place along the railway.

Future networks in rail

The opportunity for 5G in public transport, specifically rail, lies largely in delivering low latency applications for vehicles and infotainment, including backhaul connectivity that allows trains to deliver high bandwidth video for rail passengers. Rail needs to find the right balance between optimal 5G spectrum balancing.

The need for high data throughput (which leans towards higher frequencies – such as mmWave) and on the other hand the cost of deploying the infrastructure needed to provide coverage (which leans towards lower bands such as 700 MHz for better coverage).

Automation for trains has also been touted as a potential application, however a number of interoperability dependences have been raised, as well as the challenges of new technology being adopted through the use of the correct and relevant technical specifications. These applications will drive network architecture with requirements of mmWave band usage.



©

As a key deliverable, Digital Catapult will drive these advanced digital technologies throughout the manufacturing sector and into adjacent sectors where there is greatest opportunity for delivering impact in terms of key performance, productivity and safety measures.

The ATI Digital Framework



DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: AEROSPACE

Mark Scully, Head of Technology for Advanced Systems & Propulsion, Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)



to be worth US$6.3 trillion, equivalent to 35,000 new aircraft. A further US$1.9 trillion is forecast in through-life support. Order books are full.

The UK aerospace sector has the potential to take a large share of this growing global market by significantly advancing its productivity – and it is looking at digital technology as a way of achieving that.

Digital technology can transform the sector in many ways, such as integrating supply chains, opening servitisation opportunities, and enabling disruption through new product, delivery and commercial capabilities.

The application of digital tools to in-service products has been led by the aerospace sector for many years, enhancing availability, reducing unscheduled maintenance time and predicting product performance to help improve design. Rolls-Royce pioneered ‘power-by-the-hour’ service contracts that have now become the norm across many aerospace propulsion providers.

Digital capability has a critical role to play in unlocking new market opportunities for the aerospace sector, one of which is the digital twin. Digital twins are virtual models of a product, process or service that can be used to predict their

igital technologies are not new to aerospace. They are widely used in design (model-based definition) and manufacturing (robotics) and are a core element of through-life engineering (data analytics).

The sector is a highly-regulated environment, and that has certainly had an impact on the rate and scale of adoption. Nonetheless it is already clear that, over time, digital technologies will be embedded across the sector, and be present in every aspect of aircraft design, manufacture, operation and maintenance.

The push to embrace digital technology is, in part, a reaction to the significant growth forecast for the aerospace market. It is predicted that over the next 20 years the market will see growth of around 90%. The market for civil aerospace globally over the next 20 years is forecast

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enables companies to explore real-world conditions in a high-fidelity simulated environment. Digital technology can also provide the opportunity for organisations to work with supply chains to provide an interactive, cooperative and collaborative environment, and use smart contracts to manage and structure ownership. The use of blockchain technology can provide a flexible and more agile approach to design and component maintenance contracts.

From a manufacturing perspective, the application of Industry 4.0 automation and Internet of Things (IoT) devices for monitoring products and process capability has the potential to make a significant impact on the productivity and conformance of products throughout the supply chain.

The use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing resource planning (MRP) tool sets have been common in aerospace for many years. The application of smart tools and electronic tagging in IoT devices, together with the application of autonomy for repetitive tasks, is being used in industry to vastly improve product quality, flexibility, availability and consistency of supply chains.

The use of the data from the shop floor can also offer real-time scheduling with

properties and behaviours. Throughout the lifecycle of the product, process or service, data from the physical world is collected, processed and compared against the digital twin, continually verifying the model and enabling diagnosis and pre-emptive action to be taken in the physical world.

As new digital technologies enable the application of a digital twin, it will become the norm to understand every characteristic of manufacturing, and undertake the simulation and prognostic assessment of products in-service, that can in turn be used to validate and certify future product variants or upgrades.

Digital technology is significantly improving the productivity of all areas of the product lifecycle. Airbus has publicly stated that it is using digital technology to reduce the time of product development by 50%.

The aerospace sector has been particularly successful in the application of digital tools (such as computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis simulation tools) to define product concepts, predict the likely impact of new technology solutions, and significantly improve the time between the concept and production of new products.

The evolution of these technologies



customers, enhance the awareness of product quality concessions, and offer a prognostic capability for maintenance and engineering resources.

Barriers to becoming ‘fully digitised’ remain, and the sector is working together to better understand and overcome them. A recent survey conducted by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) found that most organisations within the sector identify intellectual property (IP) protection, data sharing and cyber security as the biggest barriers to transformation.

The Institute published an INSIGHT paper summarising the opportunities and challenges for digital transformation in aerospace, and this is available to download on the Institute’s website.

Digital technology presents transformational opportunities for products and processes – from concept to disposal. It will also be essential in helping the UK improve its productivity and capability to the extent necessary to maintain its competitive position as the second largest aerospace sector in the world.



DIGITAL BEYOND THE RAILWAYS: FIN TECH




move into cities, that expectation will only increase.

It is not just how people are living and traveling that is undergoing tremendous change, the way they spend is evolving too. Thanks to the growth of connected devices, shopping, buying tickets, paying bills and sending money to friends and family are all faster and easier than ever before. In many ways, smart devices are heralding the beginning of a new era where digital payments are unconstrained by wired infrastructure.

The combination of these three elements – increasing urbanisation, changing consumer expectations of their daily travel, and the rise of connected devices – is reshaping mass transit.

The contactless revolution

Contactless payments technology is a great example of how these three factors are transforming urban public transport systems. Just over a decade on from the first contactless card payment, we are making contactless payments for everyday journeys via phones, smart watches and wearables. The rate of development is increasing in line with consumer demand to make every day processes, such as paying for public transport, as quick and seamless as possible.

he world is changing at a previously unimaginable rate. We are witnessing

a seismic shift in the concentration of where people are living through the rise of the megacity – cities with populations of more than 10 million people. In 2010, there were roughly 20 megacities, with that number rising to 32 by the end of 2017. By 2025, the number of megacities is expected to grow to 41 and the United Nations predicts that, by then two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas.

This trend is also bringing about significant changes in people’s attitudes towards commuting and travelling, both within and between urban areas. Commuters expect their transit experiences to be fast, easy and secure, which is driving demand for multi-modal travel payments to be treated holistically, even when different service providers are involved. As more people

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contactless journeys to be made, and three months later on the 18th December 2014, one million Visa contactless journeys were made in a single day.

In less than three years my team and I were celebrating the one billionth TfL contactless journey to be made with a Visa contactless card or device and we are now seeing one in eight contactless payments on the network made on mobile phones. The ever-growing extension of contactless to destinations like Gatwick Airport, and within commuter zones around the GTR network, means convenient and more efficient journeys are now being enjoyed by more and more passengers.

What the future holds

Our work to optimise the mass transit experience is just beginning. Based on London’s success, in October 2017, Visa has launched a programme dedicated to enabling the global mass transit sector with the expertise, guidelines and tools to shape their own systems.

By moving from cumbersome paper ticketing and top-up card systems to more effective and efficient contactless payments on buses, trams and at the ticket gate, transit operators can provide their passengers with the same fast, easy and secure experience on their travels or daily commutes that they have come to

As cities grow and mass transit systems come under more pressure, time saving measures will be key to managing the strain. The quicker that people are able to enter and exit transport networks, the more people can benefit from them.

The implementation of contactless systems in mass transit networks saves valuable time by eradicating the need to visit a ticket office to purchase a ticket. The tap-to-pay technology has facilitated the development of dual transit models in which the fare is either known at the beginning of the journey, or alternatively not known until after travel is complete.

These models offer a high degree of flexibility to transport operators of various sizes, geographies and complexities. The technology can also accommodate complex fare policies such as multi-modal, capping or concessionary fares.

Working in partnership with Transport for London (TfL), Visa supported the launch of contactless payments on London Buses in 2012, enabling faster and more convenient journeys. In 2014, TfL made the landmark decision to introduce a cashless fare system on London Buses and to extend the rollout of contactless across its network. Mobile payments followed in 2015.

The rate of adoption has been impressive. It took only nine days for one million Visa



travel. Utilising the existing Visa Commerce Network technology available through contactless enabled cards and devices, transit authorities could instantly push retail discounts and other rewards to commuters that travel during less busy times. The possibilities opened up by digital technology are myriad.

Who stands the most to gain from these systems? In short, we all do. Commuters, transit authorities, retailers, employers, governments and local and the global economies. Saving time, reducing friction and increasing efficiency will be vital to keep the cities of the future functioning effectively.

Mass transit is an area where this is particularly important and where we should expect many more exciting developments in the coming months and years.

expect in retail outlets and other sectors.

Payment technologies in the mass transit space are set to evolve further. Tokyo already has ticket barriers that remain open unless an invalid ticket is presented. At Mobile World Congress 2018, our European CEO demonstrated ticket barriers that use similar ‘open’ technology with contactless payment functionality embedded. At an individual level, this may only save a couple of seconds, but by enabling commuters to walk through ticket barriers without pausing, this technology stands to save time and reduce friction on a massive scale for millions of commuters.

Other developments are equally beneficial. As more people install voice-controlled personal assistants in their homes, it is only a matter of time before these devices will be able to purchase travel tickets which are then instantly sent to your contactless-enabled phone or watch. Wearable technologies will continue to evolve, while artificial intelligence and machine learning will soon capture the peaks and troughs of day-to-day rush hours, allowing transit authorities to plan and create contingency plans to manage them.

An example of how to manage or limit peaks might be the introduction of non-fare incentives for off-peak


Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) began operating in September 2014 and is the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff. Some 273m passenger journeys are made each year on its services and 6,500 people employed.

GTR consists of: Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express.

The franchise serves London as well as a number of important regional centres including: Cambridge, Luton and Peterborough to the north of the region; and Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton in the south. It also pro-vides direct links to major airports (Gatwick and Luton) as well as St Pancras International.

Govia Thameslink Railway 24 Monument StLondon EC3R 8AJ

T: 020 8929 8600thameslinkrailway.com

As well as being fully recyclable and biodegradable, the paper used to create this printed edition of the GTR Essays has FSC certification, meaning that the pulps used are all from managed forests.

Published by Govia Thameslink Railway 2018 © Govia Thameslink Railway, All Rights Reserved


GTR

Ess

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FROM THE

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONTO THE

DIGITAL REVOLUTION

Cover GTR Essays (24th April) FINAL (with pink).indd 1 24/04/2018 11:31

from the industrial revolution

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