Direct Rail Services has brought nine Network Rail-funded ETCS training simulators into use at its Carlisle office, giving its freight drivers a controlled setting to learn in-cab digital signalling.

Class 68 ETCS replica simulator cab with a driver’s seat, controls and a projected railway scene
The Class 68 ETCS replica simulator at Direct Rail Services’ Regents Court office in Carlisle. Photo: Network Rail.

The suite at Regents Court has one replica cab and eight Ultra-Light desktop units. That breakdown comes from CORYS, the French company that designed and delivered them. CORYS reported commissioning the Class 68 ETCS simulators in July 2026. Direct Rail Services (DRS), the rail division of Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), announced the launch of the simulators on 18 September.

What drivers can practise in Carlisle

ETCS, the European Train Control System, shows movement information on a screen in the cab. It is designed to take over from traditional lineside signals and is meant to make the railway safer, more reliable and able to carry more trains. The Carlisle equipment reproduces real driving conditions and ETCS behaviour. Drivers can work through different scenarios and get familiar with the system. They can also rehearse their reactions to operational situations while live trains keep running undisturbed.

John Madden, Commercial Director at CORYS, explained where the simulation software comes from:

“The DRS simulators benefit from the latest UK ETCS platform, built with UK freight and passenger operators since 2018 and continuously updated as the real system evolves.”

DRS ETCS simulator enclosure with its driving cab visible through the entrance
The DRS ETCS simulator installation at Regents Court in Carlisle, with the replica driving cab visible inside. Photo: Network Rail.

Network Rail funding for freight driver training

Network Rail paid for the simulators as part of the ETCS rollout. The partners say the equipment gives drivers far more training opportunities than the live railway can. Chris Hobden, who directs the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) at Network Rail, put people at the centre of the change:

“Making a successful switch to digital signalling is about people as much as the technology involved.”

Neither the DRS nor the Network Rail announcement gives the cost of the equipment. Nor does either say when DRS trains will start running under ETCS.

Network Rail-funded ETCS simulators at two UK freight operators
Item Direct Rail Services DB Cargo UK
Location Regents Court office, Carlisle Headquarters, Doncaster
Locomotive class Class 68 Class 66
Cab simulators 1 replica simulator (virtual cab) 1 full cab simulator
Desktop simulators 8 Ultra-Light units 6 ultra-light units
Other training sites named None named Wembley depot centre and a mobile unit
Date Commissioned by CORYS in July 2026; launch announced 18 September 2026 Officially opened 28 November 2024
Funding Network Rail, as part of the ETCS rollout Network Rail, through the freight sector’s long-term deployment programme for ETCS

Both operators received one cab simulator plus a set of desktop units; the Carlisle suite has two more desktop simulators than Doncaster and models the Class 68 rather than the Class 66.

Sources: CORYS, Network Rail, Network Rail (DB Cargo UK centre), DB Cargo UK.

ETCS progress on the East Coast Main Line

CORYS describes the Carlisle training as part of the ECDP. Network Rail presents that programme as the first upgrade of a UK intercity main line to digital signalling. So far, Network Rail has introduced in-cab signalling on a 15-mile stretch between Welwyn and Hitchin. That section works as an overlay, so trains can run under either conventional or digital signalling while drivers learn the system. Great Northern Class 717 units began using it in August 2026. Other fleets and passenger services are due to join from 2027. The upgrade will spread step by step between London King’s Cross and the Stoke Tunnels near Grantham, with completion planned in the 2030s.