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SelTrac is a digital railway signalling technology used to automatically control the movements of rail vehicles. It was the first fully automatic moving-block signalling system to be commercially implemented.
SelTrac was originally developed in the 1970s by Standard Elektrik Lorenz (the "SEL" in the name) of Germany for the Krauss-Maffei Transurban, an automated guideway transit system proposed for the GO-Urban network in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada. Although the GO-Urban project failed, the Transurban efforts were taken over by an Ontario consortium led by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), and adapted to become its Intermediate Capacity Transit System (ICTS). This technology was first used on the SkyTrain network in Vancouver, British Columbia and the Scarborough RTinToronto, Ontario.
SelTrac was primarily sold and developed by Alcatel, through a subsidiary. SelTrac was then sold by Thales from their Canadian unit (, after it purchased many of Alcatel's non-telephony assets.
On May 31, 2024, Hitachi Rail completed the acquisition of Thales' Ground Transportation Systems (GTS) business, making SelTrac a product of Hitachi.[1][2]
SelTrac uses the twisted-loop concept developed by Siemens in the 1950s.[3]
Data communication is provided with either low frequency inductive loop or a high bandwidth, open-standards wireless system incorporating spread-spectrum radio technology.[4]
SelTrac is installed in many railways around the world,[5] including the following: