Billions of pounds will be invested in railway signalling over the next five years to improve the reliability of systems on Britain’s railways, potentially enabling more trains to run.

Five framework contracts — worth an estimated £2.4 billion over Control Period 6 (2019-2024) — will improve asset reliability and reduce delays for the users of the railway (passengers and freight operators), while also increasing capacity on the network.

The frameworks, which went live on 31 January 2020, are split into geographical lots. They have been awarded to: Alstom (Southern region and Eastern region); Siemens Mobility Ltd (Scotland region and North West & Central region); a joint venture between Hitachi Rail STS UK Ltd and Linbrooke Services Ltd (Wales & Western region).

Paul Wright, Network Rail’s commercial director (www.networkrail.co.uk), said: “The major signalling frameworks are the final awards in a three-tier approach to signalling delivery for Control Period 6.

"The awards have gone to suppliers that have many years of signalling experience and will help Network Rail to facilitate key signalling renewals safely and efficiently.

"We look forward to working with them to deliver signalling projects that are truly on the side of passengers and freight users.”

Nick Crossfield, managing director of Alstom UK & Ireland (www.alstom.com), said: “Signalling is the backbone of a safe, reliable and high-performance rail network for passengers.

"Alstom is proud to have been trusted by Network Rail to deliver these planned improvements in its two biggest regions over the next four years.

"We will be increasing the use of digital technology and automation, reducing cost and increasing reliability, and building on successful projects such as the Bristol Area Signalling Renewals and Enhancements that we delivered last year.”