A look at the future of signalling in Wales
Eight years after its opening in October 2010, the £16.5 million Wales Railway Operating Centre (WROC) is really starting to come into its own, as more and more of the Principality’s network falls under its control.
Situated in an anonymous and highly-fortified building, surrounded by razor wire and a bomb-proof wall, half a mile west of Cardiff Central and overlooking Canton depot, the WROC works round the clock 365 days a year, employing a total of around 180 Network Rail staff.
In addition, and in a separate first floor room from the signallers, the integrated control room sees a further 46 Arriva Trains Wales staff sitting opposite the NR team, overseeing operation of the whole Welsh network and stepping in to manage incidents as they arise.
WROC is one of the dozen planned operating centres across Britain that will ultimately assume control of virtually the entire network, with exceptions in Wales being the Cambrian Coast and Heart of Wales routes, which will retain existing radio-based signalling control from Machynlleth and key token control, overseen by Pantyffynnon Signal Box, respectively.
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