HITACHI RAIL GTS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

Their core work

Hitachi Rail GTS Deutschland (formerly part of Thales Group) develops advanced railway signalling, communication, and automation systems for European rail infrastructure. Their core work spans two distinct domains: digital rail systems — including ERTMS/ETCS signalling, moving block technology, cybersecurity, and autonomous train operations — and space electric propulsion, particularly high-efficiency plasma thrusters and power processing units. In rail, they build the digital backbone that enables trains to run closer together, communicate securely, and eventually operate autonomously. In space, they contribute critical thruster and propulsion components for European satellite missions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early work (2016–2018) centred on foundational rail signalling — GNSS-based train positioning, ERTMS/ETCS standards — alongside initial space propulsion research into plasma confinement and green propellants. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward demonstrators and prototypes: building working systems for moving block signalling, virtual train coupling, autonomous train operation, and remote air traffic towers. The space propulsion line continued but remained a secondary thread, while rail automation and system architecture became dominant.

Moving from research-stage signalling components toward integrated, demonstrator-ready autonomous rail systems — a strong partner for anyone building the next generation of European rail automation.

How they like to work

Predominantly a participant and specialist contributor rather than a consortium leader — they coordinated only 1 of 14 projects (X2Rail-3), and joined 4 more as a third party providing targeted expertise. With 163 unique partners across 23 countries, they operate within the large Shift2Rail and SESAR consortia, suggesting deep integration into the EU rail and aviation research ecosystem. This is an organization you bring in for specific technical capability, not to manage the programme.

Extensive European network with 163 unique consortium partners spanning 23 countries, built primarily through the large Shift2Rail and SESAR Joint Undertaking programmes. Their network is heavily weighted toward rail operators, infrastructure managers, and signalling peers across Western and Central Europe.

What sets them apart

Their rare dual expertise in both railway signalling and space propulsion makes them unusual — few organizations can contribute meaningfully to both Shift2Rail and ESA-related programmes. Within the rail domain specifically, they bring deep knowledge of the full signalling stack from GNSS positioning through ETCS to cybersecurity and autonomous operations. As a large industrial company (now part of Hitachi Rail), they offer the engineering capacity and long-term commitment that smaller partners cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• X2Rail-3
  Their only coordinated project (EUR 1.6M), prototyping moving block signalling, virtual train coupling, and cybersecurity — a flagship of the Shift2Rail programme.
• X2Rail-5
  Their largest funded project (EUR 2.6M), completing demonstrators for adaptable communication, moving block, and fail-safe train localisation — the culmination of years of Shift2Rail work.
• HEMPT-NG
  Demonstrates their unusual space propulsion side — developing next-generation high-efficiency plasma thrusters with green propellants for European non-dependence in space.