This talk will explore the origins of ERTMS/ETCS, how it came into being and its current state of development. The overall system architecture will be presented together with an overview of the main functions, including cab-signalling and ATO, and Packet 44 which allows bespoke features to be added to the generic interoperable function set. The performance and capacity enhancing capabilities of ETCS will also be discussed with consideration of the potential for ERTMS/ETCS to be applied to urban and metro railways.
Paul Booth spent nearly thirty years working in the field of ETCS engineering prior to retiring from Network Rail in 2022. He was the Principal Engineer on both the Thameslink and Paddington – Heathrow ETCS projects. He was also involved in the West Coast Main Line ETCS project when he was employed by Alstom before joining Network Rail in 2000. Paul is now semi-retired and continues to work as a consultant on ETCS related and digital railway projects.