India pushes for home-grown signalling tech on upcoming high-speed rail lines

Indian Railways is creating its own high-speed rail signalling protocol, called the Bharat Train Control System (BTCS), to be used on the country’s expanding bullet-train network. The system is intended to be open-source, affordable and adaptable to Indian operating environments, aiming to replace foreign solutions across nearly 7,000 km of future corridors. Officials expect design and alignment approvals for the new routes to be completed by mid-2027, leveraging lessons learned from the Mumbai-Ahmedabad line where the European Train Control System (ETCS) is in place.

Earlier this month, former Japanese minister Hideki Makihara criticised India for not fully adopting Japanese technology, noting the preference for open-source signalling over Japan’s Digital Automatic Train Control. Indian officials responded that Hitachi-built trains are compatible with ETCS and that Japan’s proposals would be considered if they are competitive. The BTCS could also be exported to other nations and boost domestic railway equipment manufacturers.