Train Driver Academy to raise the profile of railways

A train driver academy, funded by Network Rail, hopes to attract more youngsters into the industry.

Drivers will now be trained on the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) which is due for use on the East Coast Mainline by 2029.

The system will replace conventional signalling methods currently used in the UK, Network Rail said.

Freightliner, which runs the centre in Ipswich, said the system will make journeys faster and more efficient.

The company also hopes the new academy could also attract youngsters into a career in rail.

Once the ERTMS is up and running, computers will dictate critical safety information, including how fast the trains should go and even how long they will take to stop.

It is extensively used in other European countries including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Germany.

A pilot of the project is currently ongoing between Hitchin and Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire.

Matthew Lysak says the simulator used in the centre is "surprisingly realistic"

Matthew Lysak was a train driver and is now an operational trainer for Freightliner. He said the training offered on a lifelike simulator was "surprisingly realistic".

It is hoped the new system will help freight and passenger trains "run more seamlessly together".

He thinks the system could be "revolutionary" for the UK and create "great improvements" for railway journeys."

Louise Ward hopes that the centre will offer an experience which will attract people to the profession

Louise Ward, safety and training director at Freightliner, said: "Years ago kids wanted to be train drivers, now they want to be YouTube influencers, so we need to raise the profile of the railway and fantastic careers the railway offers," she said.

The digital ERMTS system will "make the network much more efficient" she added.

"It will bring together a number of systems and make sure the railway can operate as simply as possible... we're limited by essentially a Victorian railway.

"It's still very early days but it's important to be gearing up and ensuring our drivers have the skills that they need ready to go as the project gets bigger."

Ed Akers said eventually there would be less disrupted journeys

Changing to the new system will take time as it is such a "big operational change" said Ed Akers of Network Rail.

The fully digital system across the East Coast main line will take place "as and when signalling is required to be renewed", he said.

Network Rail hopes journeys will become "more reliable" and "less disrupted".