Network Rail will begin trials of a £60m computerised safety system for high-speed trains by 2008.

The rail company will test the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) on 200 kilometres of track on the Cambrian Line railway, which runs between Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli.

Four freight locomotives and 17 passenger trains, made up of 158 diesel units, will be used to test the automatic braking system recommended after a public inquiry into the Paddington rail crash in October 1999.

The system could also reduce train delays by 20 per cent, by improving driver communications and removing the reliance on line-side signalling.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail told Computing that the organisation wants to appoint an IT supplier with responsibility for designing, installing and testing the technology for the Cambrian trial by Easter next year.

'After appointing a supplier, next year will be spent designing the system. Groundwork on the Cambrian Line will begin in 2007 and the trial system will be up and running by 2008,' she said.

Network Rail will assume responsibility for the trial's infrastructure, Arriva Trains will test systems on passenger trains, and EWS will test signalling technology on freight trains.

The rail operator intends the system to be based on ERTMS Level 2 System D standards, which can operate without line-side signalling by using radio networks to connect computers on trains with signalling centres.

By receiving a continuous stream of information, drivers of high-speed trains will be able to monitor the status of traffic and signals on the track ahead, allowing them to reach maximum permitted speeds while maintaining a safe braking distance.

If the ERTMS trials prove successful Network Rail will work with train operators to install it on high-speed trains in the UK.

ERTMS will also supplement Network Rail's £16m Train Protection Warning System, which automatically applies the brakes to trains passing a red signal or travelling too fast in restricted speed routes.