The ECP brake - now it's arrived, what's the consensus?

Five years ago there were only a few freight trains in Australia fitted with Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brakes. Now Australia is the world leader in the number of trains operating with ECP brakes. The expected advantages of ECP brakes over the conventional automatic air brake which is a Pneumatically Controlled Pneumatic (PCP) brake system have been well documented. But is the practical reality as good as the hype? Are the expected benefits being delivered? Have there been any unexpected implications to the introduction of this new technology? Has the potential for ECP brakes to support other modes of train operation been realised? What is the future likely to be? This paper considers the effects this dramatic change in technology has had on the key stakeholders e.g. crews, maintainers, train operators, track owners, brake manufacturers, rolling stock manufacturers.