Shropshire Star

Cyber attack alert on new Shropshire and Mid Wales rail system

A new railway signalling system being trialled across Shropshire and Mid Wales could be hit by a cyber attack, a government adviser has warned.

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Professor David Stupples said the European Rail Traffic Management system (ERTM), which is being used on the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth line, could be exposed to malicious software, or malware and used to cause a "nasty accident".

The internet security expert at City University said government ministers feared the possible threat of hacking and the biggest could come from an insider.

However, the claims were today dismissed by local rail users and Network Rail.

The new digital system has been used on the line and on to Pwhelli for at least five years and could now be rolled out across the UK rail network. It is aimed to make lines safer.

Mr Stupples said: "It's the clever malware that actually alters the way the train will respond. So, it will perhaps tell the system the train is slowing down, when it's speeding up.

"Governments aren't complacent. Certain ministers know this is absolutely possible and they are worried about it. Safeguards are going in, in secret, but it's always possible to get around them. The weakness is getting malware into the system by employees."

Network Rail, in charge of the upgrade which is expected be operational by the 2020s, said it acknowledged the threat but that Britain had the safest major railway in Europe. A spokesman added: "

Safety is our top priority. We work closely with government, the security services, our partners and suppliers in the rail industry and security specialists to combat cyber threats."

But the chairman of the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth Rail Passenger Association said after initial teething problems the digital system had been working well.

Mr Angus Eickhoff, from Moel y Garth, Welshpool, said the association had been monitoring the new system for more than five years.

"The Cambrian was selected as the rail line to trial the system many years ago, I presume because it does not connect into directly into much of the national network."

He said the ERTM meant that instead of the traditional signals that are outside the train, these are built into the train. If a driver ignores the signal the train will come to a stop itself.

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