2:52 "ETCS" stands for "European Train Control System" it's what high speed trains such as Eurostar, and tgv etc.. use.

I had no idea I was a train nerd. Found you through the Londonist now I’m loving all the nerdy train information. Your videos are great, informative, and really enjoyable. Thank you Geoff.

This makes me sad that the Washington Metro has had this for years but it's been disabled because of poor maintenance and operation and design flaws. Congrats to Thameslink for showing that it can still be done.

"Surely, you can't be serious?" Nicely done Richard Messingham

"Doors will open automatically at the next station" is what I heard approaching Blackfriars for the first time yesterday (although I haven't been through that way for a few months).

There is nothing worse on the phone than hearing yourself telling yourself how important your own call is whilst your on hold, when it's your voice used for all the announcements for your organisation...

Every time I see some good news/milestone in London's transport network I think "yay another Geoff video soon"

I am serious... and don't call me Shirley!

Best explanation I’ve seen so far of how the system works + all the hardworking folks behind the scenes (!!) The real people of the Railway

Please mind the intelligence gap, between the video and the comments.

It's been a while since I've heard GSM buzz. Ahh, brings back the memories.

Hello Geoff my name is Samuel I am 10 years old and I love you channel also today I went on a Thameslink cab ride from Haywards Heath to Finsbury Park and back and we went throw the tunnels were the train goes automatic and it looks so wired when the driver is not touching the handle but at the same time it looks so cool and it also looks like the underground a bit when you go throw the tunnels and it is also looks cool when they switch over to the over head wire.

Chris!!! WE love Chris!!! More Chris please!!!

I've enjoyed the music choices in your recent videos. It suits your style, and it's not so distinctive or busy that it detracts from what's going on in the video. Sincerely, The Silent Majority

ATO drives very smoothly. Comfortable for passengers.

Brilliant Video Geoff! Great as always!

C is the best choice it brings in the adrenaline on a good day to do reviews on thameslink and other national rail routes it will make your videos go from normal to a video full of fun hype and entertainment :)

very cool Geoff :-D great to see Chris again as well!

Excellent video Geoff and Happy Birthday! Very Casey with the music!

And because of the power of Matt's voice, I have now subscribed to Geoff's channel! (Kidding, was already subscribed)

I do love that movie Airplane! :) nice piece of an historic video Geoff

Used Thameslink yesterday from St Pancras to London Bridge. It was great to be able to do that again after all these years. Had wifi and tables finally installed too. Thameslink (and Crossrail) will be great once complete.

This is truly awesome!

Music isn't annoying it's just bizzare and goes well with these videos. Much love 😂👍

Another Great Vid Geof. you superstar!!!. Not seen a bad one yet. Hats off

I was also going to say the same thing about the music! I'm glad you took it into account.

Caught a train from Farringdon to London last night. This explains why the driver was resting chin in his hands and leaning on the dashboard as the train pulled in! I did think it odd that he didn't have any hands on the controls...

As the instigator of the great music debate I congratulate you on the noteworthy improvement. Belated birthday greetings Geoff.

You and Chris are totally hilarious...... loved the video.

We need Chris back in more videos. He's great. :p

Your music choice is awesooomeeee!! Keep that fresh bouncing hip hop!!!

Please DO NOT do the video of the emergency procedure required if the inflatable train driver begins to deflate.

Heard Matt on one of the welwyn garden city station announcements the other day.

I remember commuting on the Victoria line in the early 80’s when trains would arrive at Finsbury Park with the “driver” feet up, reading a newspaper, the Victoria line having been designed to be driverless, subsequently commuted on truly driverless trains on the Dubai metro and currently Doha metro were you can grab the “drivers eye view” seat looking out of the front of the train, mind boggling technology

There is a similar System in the RER A in Paris, the whole central part of the RER A (Between Nanterre Université and Vincennes) is fully automated to allow more trains per hours, called SACEM, so it pilots the train automatically so one can wait like 2 or 3 meters behind the train at the platform. And full automatic operation of the train will come early 2019 on the line to allow again more trains and a 5km/h speed increase It will be renewed during the 2019-2022 period to work along with NExTEO that operates on other lines.

Cool video Geoff, Nice to see you at one of my local stations. I really need to get on a Thameslink train from Finsbury Park. ATO trains should be good. The class 313s will be replaced by class 717s in December. I always thought that the branch of track into the tunnel by Kings cross was for Crossrail but it's for Thameslink lol.

once again great video. very informative and funny.

I think the annoying thing about the music was that your volume when you speak and the music was different.... maybe in post you could adjust the levels to the same... And yeah I agree C is the better choice.

The guy watching you in the high viz in the reflection on the windows is like wtf is going on 🤣🤣. Great video 😊😊😊😊

They pass through the closed Kings Cross Thameslink station at 7:36 . The narrow platform can be seen. No wonder it could not continue in use - today's passenger volume could never have been handled there safely.

This man makes me want to move to Great Britain

I was lucky enough to ride in the new Thameslink trains from Brighton last December... they are BEAUTIFUL. ❤️ Possibly the nicest trains I've ever ridden in... Thanks for the video.

i remember Geoff Marshall in a episode of the tube in 2003 called Race Around The Underground trying to break the world record to get round all 275 tube stations in the fastest time possible.

Who's complaining about the music being annoying?! Music has been awesome lately, keep using it!

I say music C but I'm so excited about the clocks going forward too woohoo🙌🏻🙌🏻

Chris is back! Wheyyy!

Love watching your vids.. However,I have a few questions. It seems to me that NR is just another subway system that overlaps the London Underground,but travels to the suburban areas. Is there much difference between the Subway Surface lines, the Tube lines... and the inner National Rail lines?

Geoff, your music sounds cool its one of the best bits #alltheiritatingmusic

Entertaining and informative, as ever. Always found it odd (and still do) that Farringdon has the three letter National Rail code ZFD - most people think it's FAR which is what was drawn on the diagram. Only thing is that those Class 700s have rock hard "ironing board" seats in standard class, and it's only in first class where the seats are comfortable (so don't blame you one bit for taking a seat in there) - not to mention the heating issues...

Honestly, I've always thought the music on this channel has been excellent.

I was only in London for a few days, and I can't believe that I actually saw Geoff Marshall in person at the London Transport Museum! (I live in North America, so it's a pretty rare event). Happy birthday, by the way!

he is the best youtuber, he does not say anything about subscribing in his videos!

7:28 Don´t call me Shirley!

Thanks for explaining the canal tunnels. Any chance of a "Secrets of the Canal" video?

Very good

Music! Choice of music apart, I must say the sound quality of it is superb and I get a kick just off that! :o)

For anyone who does not know what ATO is it means Automatic Train Operation

Which part of the Thameslink Line does the CBTC system limit at

In my lifetime I'll be lucky to see this on my local line. Nothing ever gets done and I still have semaphores lol.

More of these in service please

To be honest I loved the music!

Doesn't ATO extend all the way to London Bridge and over the diveunder?

Can we suggest what type of music to put in your video?. What about, when you're running for a train or a bus, you play the Benny Hill theme tune!

"So if you see an inflatable driver don't be alarmed" "Surely you can't be serious" Whooooosh

What were the 4 recordings of Music you had?

Second and cool train! I want to go on it!

I liked all the music selections except choice A. Where can I find the full track of choices B, C, and D? Whenever I watch your videos, I generally like the music choice you use in your videos.

Chris is great!

I dont get why people say the class 700 looks really bad its defently better than the class 319

This kept throwing me for a loop because "Press to ATO" is a very specific term used in Space Shuttle launches... I've heard it so many times, it's seems odd in the reference of trains! For those interested... ATO means Abort To Orbit. When you hear the callout "Press to ATO" it means the Shuttle has enough speed and height that if an engine went out they could make it to a stable orbit.

Matt Streeton's a very switched on bloke. Good stuff

The music you've been getting someone to do your videos recently is great - A please

Fascinating video. Are there any plans to expand ATO to Crossrail in the future?

5:31 That K looks like an entirely different character...

I have been on those trains there really cool

Does the ATO change the power operation as well or is that down to the driver?

Are there other automated rail systems in the UK ? Our "Skytrain" here in Vancouver has been automated since 1986, some have said it is still running on the same PC lol - hopefully not.

So the canal tunnels are brand new train tunnels that go beneath the canal, rather than tunnels that originally carried a canal, later upcycled to carry train tracks instead?

i think the music you use is always getting better

On USA model railroads, it's called ATCS, automatic train control system.

can we have the KLF please? been impressed with your stuff since you mentioned 'it's grim up north' lol

What is the point of ATO when you need a driver? Does it allow for trains closer together?

Geoff have you ever thought about composing a theme tune incorporating all the wonderful sounds of the railway. I've always thought that would be a great idea.

It would have been handy to see the old York Road tunnels on the diagram, because they ostensibly did the same job - linking the Thameslink core (aka City Widened Lines) with the line out of Kings Cross. Those went through KX station and bypassed St Pancras though I suppose, so weren't suitable for the modern link?

So...what is the title for Music C?

Are we northerners ever going to get a train from north of Watford direct into St Pancras, other than the one a week from York?

Music C is Keep On Going by Joakim Kariud.

Just had a look on the National Rail app, and if I wanted to go to Brighton from Kings Lynn (which does stop at Cambridge) it would take me 22 minutes more if I went via St Pancras from Kings Cross than if I went Victoria from kings cross?!

Viewing this for the first time somewhat late, but I have a question I don’t think was addressed in the vid - what were the reasons for installing ATO? Safety? Efficiency? Was there something about the core that made it appropriate where it is not elsewhere? Ta!

I'd say B for the music choice. you should have a poll (pole?) in the video aswell

Geoff you don't need any music on your videos, they are interesting enough without background irritation!!

What's the fifth automated line? I only know victoria, northern, jubilee and central.

I really liked the "old", funky music. :(

Wow! 'How my rush-hour revolution will turn rail hell to heaven' by Charles Horton turned out to be exactly the opposite. It was so bad, Horton had to resign from his post as CEO at GTR. Are GTR also in charge at Southern? Or am I just imagining that?

Yeah Chris, Yeah Music C

Very good channel. Option B would have been the preferred choice because the rhythm matches with train speed going over the rails. Happy birthday from Toronto, Canada.

Did anybody’s audio go all fuzzy as they passed out through abandoned kings cross?

Is this different than the automatic trains on the DLR?

It's so hilarious when I put up the automatic caption and instead of saying, ” Change here for Piccadilly. Line,” it says ” to eat here who died,”

I'm rather confused by all the fanfare over this particular train being the first to use ATO through the core because Chrome on my phone served me a story the other day which says "Working with Network Rail and Siemens,commuter operator Govia Thameslink Railway has successfully operated its first passenger-carrying train using ATO over ETCS Level 2. On March 17 a southbound eight-car Thameslink train to Three Bridges operated automatically through the cross-city core" Anyone have any ideas why this Peterborough train was "special"? www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rolling-stock/single-view/view/thameslink-first-with-ato-over-etcs.html