Alstom has celebrated the launch of Romania’s very-first European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 enabled passenger service.
Marking a major milestone in the wider modernisation of Romania’s railway; the achievement utilises a combination of Alstom’s ETCS-equipped Traxx Passenger electric locomotive and ETCS Level 2 trackside infrastructure.
The launch marks the first time Romania has seen train and signalling technologies operate together under ETCS Level 2 in commercial passenger service, a move which aims to strengthen safety, interoperability and connectivity across the country’s railway network, as well as the wider European rail system.
A ETCS Level 2 traffic management system is now active between Buftea and Brazi on the Bucharest – Budapest line, with the associated passenger service operated by a set of 16 Traxx Passenger locomotives delivered to the Romanian Railway Reform Authority (ARF).
The locomotives officially entered passenger service in September 2026, and initially used conventional signalling systems before transitioning to operate under ETCS Level 2. The units themselves were delivered in April 2026, and form a key part of a fleet that is seeing progressive integration into service across Romania.
Laurentiu Ivan, Alstom Managing Director for Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova, said:Using ETCS signalling system in Romania represents a fundamental step in making railways safer and more interoperable.
Bringing together an ETCS-equipped Traxx Passenger locomotive and ETCS Level 2 infrastructure in commercial passenger operation is an important milestone for Romania’s railway modernisation. It shows how investment in both modern trains and digital infrastructure can work together to deliver a safer, more connected European railway for passengers.
ETCS replaces traditional lineside signals with digital in-cab signalling, and allows the signalling system and trains to communicate continuously, providing real-time information directly to a computer screen situated in the driver’s cab. It is expected to boost reliability, reduce carbon emissions and provide a more punctual service for customers.
Alstom has thus far played a key role in Romania’s transition towards modern digital rail systems. The company installed the country’s first ETCS Level 2 signalling system on a rehabilitated conventional railway line, on the Border–Curtici–Arad–Km. 614 section, as well as the country’s first modern, fully automated traffic management centre in Arad, with centres in Simeria, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest and Craiova to follow.
Building on these developments, Alstom is now deploying signalling and electrification solutions on major European railway corridors across Romania. Currently, the company’s portfolio includes ETCS Level 2 projects on the Northern branch of the Rhine-Danube railway corridor, two lots of the Cluj-Oradea railway line, the Caransebes – Lugoj section, and the modernisation of the Bucharest-Giurgiu railway line – the oldest railway line in operation in Romania, which was inaugurated in 1869.
The company is also expanding ETCS Level 2 digital signalling along lots 1 and 2 of Craiova-Caransebes corridor, where Alstom is delivering signalling, traffic management and electrification, GSM-R communications and modernised electrification.
