Hitachi Rail Deploys TAS Digital Signalling at Romania's Ciulnita Station

Hitachi Rail has activated its TAS Platform digital signalling system at Ciulnita station in Romania's Ialomița County, replacing the legacy SELMIS platform after 20 years of operational service.

The deployment demonstrates Romania's commitment to digital railway infrastructure modernisation as the country seeks to align with European interoperability standards. The TAS Platform represents a generational leap from relay-based signalling to software-defined control systems, enabling enhanced capacity management and reduced maintenance costs. This technology transition positions Romanian infrastructure operator CFR for future ETCS Level 2 implementations across the national network.

Ciulnita station serves as a critical junction in southeastern Romania's Muntenia region, connecting multiple rail corridors that link the capital Bucharest with regional destinations. The SELMIS system, which entered service in the early 2000s, required replacement due to obsolescence and increasing maintenance demands. Hitachi Rail's TAS Platform provides computer-based interlocking with remote diagnostic capabilities and standardised interfaces compatible with European Train Control System requirements.

The Romanian deployment follows Hitachi Rail's broader European expansion strategy, with TAS installations already operational in Italy and contracts secured in other EU markets. CFR's infrastructure modernisation programme targets multiple stations for digital signalling upgrades as part of broader network capacity improvements funded through EU cohesion funds and Recovery and Resilience Facility allocations.