Hitachi Rail Canada Opens Toronto Signaling Technology Center

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 6, Japan's Hitachi Rail officially opened its new Canadian headquarters and rail technology center in Scarborough, Toronto, Canada. The project represents an investment of CAD 30 million, covers a building area of approximately 11,600 square meters, and can accommodate more than 1,100 employees. The center will undertake signaling system design, engineering testing, and technology R&D for Canadian urban rail transit projects, and will serve as Hitachi Rail's global metro signaling technology R&D center, participating in projects including the Toronto Subway Line 2 signaling upgrade and the Ontario Line.

The new center comprises 5.5 floors, of which approximately 3,252 square meters are dedicated to rail signaling engineering simulation facilities. Engineers can use digital twin technology to recreate the signaling systems of different cities' metro networks in a virtual environment, simulating, developing, and testing train operation control, signaling equipment configuration, and system integration solutions, before applying validated technologies to actual railway lines. The simulation system covers the metro networks of London, New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Singapore, and major Canadian cities.

The center is also Hitachi Rail's global Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) technology competence center, focusing on the development of the ninth-generation SelTrac signaling system. The company has allocated a separate CAD 105 million investment for next-generation technology R&D, with plans to integrate artificial intelligence, fifth-generation mobile communications, and edge computing technologies into the signaling system to enhance train operation control, equipment monitoring, and line operations management capabilities. This R&D investment is a separate funding item from the CAD 30 million construction investment for the new headquarters.

The new center will undertake the technical design, testing, and delivery of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Subway Line 2 signaling upgrade project. The project was officially awarded to Hitachi Rail on July 15, 2026, and plans to replace the fixed-block signaling system used on the line since it opened in 1966 with the SelTrac Communications-Based Train Control system. The new system shortens safe train headways by continuously monitoring train positions and operating status, supporting higher-density train operations.

According to the project goals published by the TTC, after the signaling upgrade on Subway Line 2 is completed, peak-hour single-direction capacity is expected to increase from the current approximately 23,400 passengers to 33,000 passengers, an increase of up to approximately 40%. The upgrade will also cover the 7.8-kilometer eastward extension to Scarborough, along with three new stations: Sheppard, McCowan, and Scarborough. The project will be implemented in phases, with overall completion planned for 2037.

In addition to Subway Line 2, Hitachi Rail is also participating in the construction of Toronto's Ontario Line, providing rail transit signaling and system technology for the project. The new center brings together Canadian local engineering teams and international R&D resources in the same office and testing facility to support system design, technical validation, and delivery work for related projects.

Hitachi Rail has been engaged in the railway signaling business in Toronto for nearly 50 years. Its SelTrac Communications-Based Train Control technology was first developed locally and is now deployed on more than 150 lines in 70 cities worldwide. With the opening of the new center, the Canadian team will continue to undertake global metro signaling system R&D and engineering delivery tasks. The company has more than 1,300 employees in Canada; the new headquarters accommodates more than 1,100 employees daily and will also welcome approximately 100 paid interns each year.