Alstom Traxx Passenger locomotive is the first rolling stock to operate in commercial passenger service under ETCS Level 2 in Romania

• Romania launches its first commercial passenger service under ETCS Level 2, advancing railway safety and interoperability
• Alstom’s Traxx Passenger locomotive becomes the first rolling stock to operate under ETCS Level 2 in Romania
• Alstom is a market leader in Romania, in railway signalling and electrification

Alstom, a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, marks a major milestone in Romania’s railway modernisation with the launch of the country’s first passenger service operating under the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2. The achievement brings together Alstom’s ETCS-equipped Traxx Passenger electric locomotive and ETCS Level 2 trackside infrastructure. For the first time in Romania, train and signalling technologies are operating together under ETCS Level 2 in commercial passenger service, strengthening safety, interoperability and connectivity across Romania’s railway network and the wider European rail system. The ETCS Level 2 traffic management system is active between Buftea and Brazi, on the Bucharest – Budapest line.

“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,” said Laurentiu Ivan, Alstom Managing Director for Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova.

The passenger service is operated using Traxx Passenger locomotives delivered to the Romanian Railway Reform Authority (ARF), under a contract for 16 units. Equipped with Alstom’s Onvia Cab™ onboard signalling solution, the locomotives entered passenger service in September 2026 using conventional signalling systems before beginning operation under ETCS Level 2. Delivered in April 2026, it is part of a fleet that is being progressively introduced into service across Romania. Today, all 16 Traxx Passenger locomotives have been delivered to the country.

The Traxx Passenger locomotive is part of Alstom’s proven Traxx locomotive platform, with more than 6,000 units sold worldwide in the 21st century.

ETCS, the European Train Control System, is a common European standard designed to make rail travel safer and more interoperable. The system continuously supervises a train’s movement against permitted operating conditions and can automatically apply the brakes when necessary, for example if a train is travelling too fast or too close to another train. By replacing different national train-control approaches with a harmonised European system, ETCS also enables trains to operate more seamlessly across networks and borders. For passengers, this means safer journeys and supports a railway that can carry traffic more efficiently and reliably.

Alstom has played a pioneering role in Romania’s transition towards modern digital rail. 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. Alstom also delivered Romania’s first modern, fully automated traffic management centre in Arad, with centres in Simeria, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest and Craiova to follow.

Building on this foundation, Alstom is deploying signalling and electrification solutions on major European railway corridors across Romania. Its current 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, 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. All these projects form part of Alstom’s more than 30-year presence in Romania. Today the company employs more than 2,000 people in the country, while Bucharest is developing as a regional centre for signalling and infrastructure engineering expertise.

ALSTOM™, Traxx™ and Onvia ™ are protected trademarks of the Alstom Group.