Hi,
To start with, let me (re)introduce myself. I'm a 19 year old swede and recently became the youngest signaller on the Swedish railways. For now I work in a local signal box at a station called Fagersta Central, however in a few years it will close and be transfered to a signalling centre far away.
Today there are just over 30 signal boxes left on the Swedish mainline network, the majority on secondary branch lines.The goal is to have the last one eliminated by 2030. That would mark the end of a transformation which began in the early 60s. In the early days only a few minor stations and passing loops at remote locations were transferred to the then-new signalling centres. On the main lines automatic block signals were installed and the signal boxes largely remained. It wasn't until the late 80s most smaller stations were transferred. Major stations began to be transferred during the 90s. While there are some advantages beyond cost savings, I think this translation is a bit sad as more and more stations become unstaffed. There are currently 8 signaling centres operational in Sweden, there were 10 originally and there have been plans to reduce this to 4, thankfully those plans has been shelved.
Well, back on topic. I've seen plenty of signal boxes still standing along the UK railways. How many are still operational, and for how long will they remain? Are major stations still to be controlled locally? And how many signalling centres are there?
I've become more and more intrested in this topic since I began working as a signaller a few months ago. And a photo from my workplace!
To start with, let me (re)introduce myself. I'm a 19 year old swede and recently became the youngest signaller on the Swedish railways. For now I work in a local signal box at a station called Fagersta Central, however in a few years it will close and be transfered to a signalling centre far away.
Today there are just over 30 signal boxes left on the Swedish mainline network, the majority on secondary branch lines.The goal is to have the last one eliminated by 2030. That would mark the end of a transformation which began in the early 60s. In the early days only a few minor stations and passing loops at remote locations were transferred to the then-new signalling centres. On the main lines automatic block signals were installed and the signal boxes largely remained. It wasn't until the late 80s most smaller stations were transferred. Major stations began to be transferred during the 90s. While there are some advantages beyond cost savings, I think this translation is a bit sad as more and more stations become unstaffed. There are currently 8 signaling centres operational in Sweden, there were 10 originally and there have been plans to reduce this to 4, thankfully those plans has been shelved.
Well, back on topic. I've seen plenty of signal boxes still standing along the UK railways. How many are still operational, and for how long will they remain? Are major stations still to be controlled locally? And how many signalling centres are there?
I've become more and more intrested in this topic since I began working as a signaller a few months ago. And a photo from my workplace!
