MP Hugh Bayley attended the opening of Network Rail’s new Rail Operating Centre (ROC) in York.
The facility is the largest of 12 operating centres which over the next 15 to 20 years will completely replace the UK’s 800 signal boxes.
In January 2015, York ROC will take over from the current control centre beside the city’s railway station. Once its fully operational, the centre will house around 400 employees from Network Rail, Northern Rail and East Coast, controlling signalling between King’s Cross and the Scottish border.
Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “The rail operating centre is the largest of just 12 proposed centres across Britain and will bring the expertise and technology we require to improve our control over train services and to make signalling more efficient.”
