NR says the railway systems integration partner (RSIP) will be appointed via a framework contract worth up to £45m over eight years and will work with NR’s London North Eastern and East Midlands (LNE & EM) route.

The RSIP will be one of three partners developing the programme. NR launched a process in August to find a technology provider - known as the train control partner (TCP) - to work on developing early joint solutions, and will launch a search in early 2019 for a traffic management partner (TMP).

NR says the RSIP will be responsible for managing the integration activities and establishing a collaborative relationship with the route, the TCP and TMP, and other stakeholders including government, passengers, freight operators and fleet owners. They will also provide governance and assurance to the programme.

The train control system on the southern section of the ECML was last substantially upgraded in the 1970s, while many of the trains operating on the route have already been fitted with ETCS or are soon to be replaced with fleets that do.

“This is an extraordinary and exciting opportunity that will have a significant and sustained impact on the future of the railway and the economies and communities we serve,” says LNE & EM route director, Mr Rob McIntosh. “The RSIP will assist us to maximise the potential benefits of the digital signalling and train control systems by leading the industry through the change process and ensuring collective operational readiness on this complex transformation programme.”

“Britain’s railway is in need of a transformative approach that takes it beyond the challenges of today, and this will create a mould for how a new generation of partnerships can be established that will deliver better outcomes, both for users and for how the industry works together,” says NR group Digital Railway managing director, Mr David Waboso.

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