diff --git a/backends/verilog/verilog_backend.cc b/backends/verilog/verilog_backend.cc
index aea29f710..c747aa901 100644
--- a/backends/verilog/verilog_backend.cc
+++ b/backends/verilog/verilog_backend.cc
@@ -1099,6 +1099,33 @@ bool dump_cell_expr(std::ostream &f, std::string indent, RTLIL::Cell *cell)
 	}
 
 	if (cell->type.in(ID($_BUF_), ID($buf))) {
+		if (cell->type == ID($buf) && cell->getPort(ID::A).has_const(State::Sz)) {
+			RTLIL::SigSpec a = cell->getPort(ID::A);
+			RTLIL::SigSpec y = cell->getPort(ID::Y);
+			a.extend_u0(GetSize(y));
+
+			if (a.has_const(State::Sz)) {
+				SigSpec new_a;
+				SigSpec new_y;
+				for (int i = 0; i < GetSize(a); ++i) {
+					SigBit b = a[i];
+					if (b == State::Sz)
+						continue;
+					new_a.append(b);
+					new_y.append(y[i]);
+				}
+				a = std::move(new_a);
+				y = std::move(new_y);
+			}
+			if (!y.empty()) {
+				f << stringf("%s" "assign ", indent);
+				dump_sigspec(f, y);
+				f << stringf(" = ");
+				dump_sigspec(f, a);
+				f << stringf(";\n");
+			}
+			return true;
+		}
 		f << stringf("%s" "assign ", indent);
 		dump_sigspec(f, cell->getPort(ID::Y));
 		f << stringf(" = ");
@@ -1498,6 +1525,29 @@ bool dump_cell_expr(std::ostream &f, std::string indent, RTLIL::Cell *cell)
 		return true;
 	}
 
+	if (cell->type == ID($input_port))
+		return true;
+
+	if (cell->type == ID($connect))
+	{
+		int width = cell->getParam(ID::WIDTH).as_int() ;
+		if (width == 1) {
+			f << stringf("%s" "tran(", indent);
+			dump_sigspec(f, cell->getPort(ID::A));
+			f << stringf(", ");
+			dump_sigspec(f, cell->getPort(ID::B));
+			f << stringf(");\n");
+		} else {
+			auto tran_id = next_auto_id();
+			f << stringf("%s" "tran %s[%d:0](", indent, tran_id, width - 1);
+			dump_sigspec(f, cell->getPort(ID::A));
+			f << stringf(", ");
+			dump_sigspec(f, cell->getPort(ID::B));
+			f << stringf(");\n");
+		}
+		return true;
+	}
+
 	if (cell->is_builtin_ff())
 	{
 		FfData ff(nullptr, cell);
diff --git a/frontends/ast/simplify.cc b/frontends/ast/simplify.cc
index cf9d7443e..81018e137 100644
--- a/frontends/ast/simplify.cc
+++ b/frontends/ast/simplify.cc
@@ -2756,19 +2756,24 @@ bool AstNode::simplify(bool const_fold, int stage, int width_hint, bool sign_hin
 		newNode = std::make_unique<AstNode>(location, AST_GENBLOCK);
 		int num = max(children.at(0)->range_left, children.at(0)->range_right) - min(children.at(0)->range_left, children.at(0)->range_right) + 1;
 
+		if (this->children.at(1)->type == AST_PRIMITIVE) {
+			// Move the range to the AST_PRIMITIVE node and replace this with the AST_PRIMITIVE node handled below
+			newNode = std::move(this->children.at(1));
+			newNode->range_left = this->children.at(0)->range_left;
+			newNode->range_right = this->children.at(0)->range_right;
+			newNode->range_valid = true;
+			goto apply_newNode;
+		}
+
 		for (int i = 0; i < num; i++) {
 			int idx = children.at(0)->range_left > children.at(0)->range_right ? children.at(0)->range_right + i : children.at(0)->range_right - i;
 			auto new_cell_owned = children.at(1)->clone();
 			auto* new_cell = new_cell_owned.get();
 			newNode->children.push_back(std::move(new_cell_owned));
 			new_cell->str += stringf("[%d]", idx);
-			if (new_cell->type == AST_PRIMITIVE) {
-				input_error("Cell arrays of primitives are currently not supported.\n");
-			} else {
-				this->dumpAst(NULL, "    ");
-				log_assert(new_cell->children.at(0)->type == AST_CELLTYPE);
-				new_cell->children.at(0)->str = stringf("$array:%d:%d:%s", i, num, new_cell->children.at(0)->str);
-			}
+
+			log_assert(new_cell->children.at(0)->type == AST_CELLTYPE);
+			new_cell->children.at(0)->str = stringf("$array:%d:%d:%s", i, num, new_cell->children.at(0)->str);
 		}
 
 		goto apply_newNode;
@@ -2789,6 +2794,11 @@ bool AstNode::simplify(bool const_fold, int stage, int width_hint, bool sign_hin
 		}
 		children.clear();
 
+		// TODO handle bit-widths of primitives and support cell arrays for more primitives
+
+		if (range_valid && str != "tran")
+			input_error("Cell arrays of primitives are currently not supported.\n");
+
 		if (str == "bufif0" || str == "bufif1" || str == "notif0" || str == "notif1")
 		{
 			if (children_list.size() != 3)
@@ -2817,7 +2827,7 @@ bool AstNode::simplify(bool const_fold, int stage, int width_hint, bool sign_hin
 			fixup_hierarchy_flags();
 			did_something = true;
 		}
-		else if (str == "buf" || str == "not")
+		else if (str == "buf" || str == "not" || str == "tran")
 		{
 			auto& input = children_list.back();
 			if (str == "not")
diff --git a/frontends/verilog/verilog_lexer.l b/frontends/verilog/verilog_lexer.l
index c6d2ed992..62a7f7bbb 100644
--- a/frontends/verilog/verilog_lexer.l
+++ b/frontends/verilog/verilog_lexer.l
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ TIME_SCALE_SUFFIX [munpf]?s
 
 \"{3}(\"{0,2}([^\\"]|\\.|\\\n))*\"{3}	{ return process_str(yytext + 3, yyleng - 6, true, out_loc); }
 
-and|nand|or|nor|xor|xnor|not|buf|bufif0|bufif1|notif0|notif1 {
+and|nand|or|nor|xor|xnor|not|buf|bufif0|bufif1|notif0|notif1|tran {
 	auto val = std::make_unique<std::string>(YYText());
 	return parser::make_TOK_PRIMITIVE(std::move(val), out_loc);
 }