Britain’s Great Northern ‘Northern City Line’ has become the country’s first commuter railway to operate without signals at the side of the track.
The milestone has been celebrated by the Rail Minister Lord Hendy, with senior industry leaders and Feryal Clark MP, Minister for AI and digital government during a visit on July 22, 2025.
“This shift from traditional signals to digital control on such a busy commuter route is a huge achievement and today has been a chance to celebrate bringing in the next generation railway in this year of Railway 200,” Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s managing director, Eastern region, said.
Delivering such a pioneering change across track and train requires deep industry wide collaboration, and this initial project has proven the success of the unique delivery model involved. This is paving the path for strategic innovation and for more industry integration under GBR.
The Rail Minister Lord Hendy saw the technology involved with digital in-cab signalling at first hand in a cab ride from Moorgate to Finsbury Park. The lineside signals were recently removed in the first stage of the government-funded GBP 1.4 billion (EUR 1.6 billion) East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP).
“Digital signalling is not only more cost effective, but even safer, more resilient and greener than traditional signalling. Great British Railways will put passengers back at the heart of our transport network. This government is investing in technology that will increase railway capacity and reduce delays by up to a third, enhancing connectivity to deliver economic growth, jobs and homes,” the Rail Minister said.
The ECDP will see the first introduction of ETCS to an intercity mainline in Great Britain and will provide the foundation for the future expansion of digital signalling across the network. ETCS is currently in use in the central London section of Thameslink and on the Cambrian Line in Wales, and now on the Northern City Line (Finsbury Park to Moorgate), in the first stage of ECDP. Work is under way to install and test the kit on the wider East Coast Main Line.
Digital signalling gives the train driver constant information on how far and how fast they can travel on a computer screen in the cab, using a system known as ETCS (European Train Control System). It boosts reliability, reduces carbon emissions and will ultimately provide a more punctual service for customers.
“The success of the Northern City Line pathfinder is an important step in the wider Digital Railway Masterplan. It sets a benchmark for how we modernise the network and lays the groundwork for how we deliver innovative technology that improves the railway for people through GBRX,” Toufic Machnouk, managing director, GBRX, said.
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