The BTCS will be tailored specifically for Indian conditions, ensuring rapid and safe deployment nationwide. The system will be open-source and cost-effective, potentially allowing India to offer it to other countries in the future. This initiative builds on experience gained from the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, where the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 signalling is being installed.
Approvals for design and route plans of future bullet-train corridors are expected to be finalised by mid-2027.
Earlier, National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd awarded a Rs 4,100 crore contract for the MAHSR signalling system to a consortium consisting of India’s Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt Ltd and Germany’s Siemens. The ETCS Level 2-based system implemented there supports train speeds up to 350 km/h.
India’s fastest train currently operates on the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Corridor, which also uses ETCS Level 2 signalling supplied by France’s Alstom.
Industry observers noted that India’s choice of ETCS Level 2 signalling on the Japan-supported MAHSR corridor broadens opportunities for a variety of equipment suppliers. This decision has attracted some criticism; for instance, former Japanese minister Hideki Makihara recently expressed concerns about India’s choice to adopt open-source signalling rather than Japan’s Digital Automatic Train Control system.
Indian officials responded by affirming that trains provided by Japan’s Hitachi are fully compatible with ETCS and that Japanese proposals will still be given priority. Furthermore, India’s railway authorities remain open to transitioning to Japanese signalling protocols if suitable supplier proposals are received.
This move towards a homegrown signalling system is expected to boost domestic railway design and equipment manufacturers and further strengthen India’s capabilities in high-speed rail technology.
