The approval, known as APiS, allows the Alstom-retrofitted fleet to move on to fault-free running ahead of ETCS Level 2 operation between Welwyn and Hitchin, expected by spring 2027.
Grand Central’s Class 180 fleet has received the regulatory approval known as APiS for the first in class fitment of the European Train Control System (ETCS), bringing the country’s first digitally-signalled high speed services a step closer.
The approval paves the way for the fleet of 10 vehicles, retrofitted by Alstom with digital signalling equipment, to operate with ETCS enabled. Grand Central is Arriva Group’s open access operator, and the fleet is owned by Angel Trains.
Fault-free running before ETCS Level 2 operation
The fleet will undergo software updates before entering an extended period of 50,000 miles of fault-free running in December. Grand Central’s train drivers are also being trained to use Level National Train Control (L-NTC) mode, which is used to operate ETCS-fitted trains over conventionally signalled routes.
The fleet is expected to begin using digital in-cab signalling (ETCS Level 2) on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between Welwyn and Hitchin by spring 2027.
Chris Hobden, programme director for the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) at Network Rail, said: “It is a pivotal achievement for us to receive approval for a retrofitted fleet, and I am grateful for the hard work across all partners involved in what has been quite a challenging process.”
Chris Brandon, director at Grand Central Rail, said the milestone had taken “a lot of hard work by colleagues within GC, our train owner Angel Trains and our technology partner Alstom”, but that “there is much work to do before we are ready to begin ETCS enabled services on the mainline”.
Steve Wilson, project director at Alstom, said the Class 180 is the company’s first passenger fleet retrofit to reach APiS, and that the focus now turns to supporting the fleet through fault-free running and towards ETCS Level 2 operation on the East Coast Main Line in 2027. He added: “APiS is an important achievement but it is also the start of the next phase of our journey.”
Matthew Prosser, asset management director at Angel Trains, said retrofitting ETCS is “highly complex” and that the fitment aligns with the Government’s Rail and Infrastructure Plan.
It is a pivotal achievement for us to receive approval for a retrofitted fleet”
East Coast Digital Programme progress
ECDP will introduce digital in-cab signalling on the southern part of the ECML. The system supervises the train’s speed and can bring it to a stop if needed. In 2025 it delivered the country’s first ‘no signals’ commuter railway between Finsbury Park and Moorgate, and some Great Northern services have used digital signalling between Welwyn and Hitchin since August 2026.
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