After a long period of facing operational obstacles due to reliance on foreign signaling technology, Vietnam's railway industry has finally reached an important milestone. Through intensive research conducted from 2017 to 2021, the country successfully developed an independently designed centralized electrical station train operation control system.
The problems began with the use of signaling equipment from China and France that was prone to damage. The project, valued at 2.4 trillion VND, was temporarily hindered by Vietnam's inability to perform independent repairs, compounded by the expiration of warranties and the discontinuation of related equipment production by foreign contractors. This condition forced railway operators to rely on expensive foreign expert services.
To address this challenge, the Institute of Applied Technology collaborated with the Vietnam Railway Corporation and various higher education institutions to create a microcontroller-based control system under project code TĐL.CN-12/17. This innovation includes not only electronic interlocking systems but also axle counters and fully integrated LED-based signals.
The main sophistication of this domestically made system lies in the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) model. With this feature, the entire operational status of the equipment can be monitored in *real-time* from a distance. The resulting data enables the development of predictive maintenance models as well as the creation of a 'digital twin' (*digital twin*) of the railway network in the future.
This success marks a significant step forward in increasing the localization of Vietnam's railway infrastructure. Now, local railway authorities have full control to design, operate, and repair their own signaling systems, which will ultimately strengthen infrastructure management efficiency and national transportation safety standards.
