Freight

KCS appoints new senior vice president and chief information officer

Kansas City Southern appointed Michael Naatz as senior vice president and chief information officer with responsibility for information technology and business planning. Naatz will report to KCS president and chief executive officer David Starling.

“Mike is a great addition to the KCS team,” said Starling. “His extensive transportation leadership experience will enhance our information technology efforts and business planning capabilities.”

Naatz has 18 years of transportation experience. He joins KCS from USF Holland, a YRCW company, where he served as president for the past year. Since USF was acquired by YRCW in 2005, he held the position of chief information and service officer, as well as a variety of other leadership positions for YRCW, including customer service and enterprise management. Prior to the acquisition, he held similar positions with USF for 11 years.

HDR acquires Stetson Engineering, Inc.

HDR, Inc., has acquired the business of Stetson Engineering, Inc., a Wyoming-based firm with offices in Gillette and Riverton. Stetson Engineering, Inc., specializes in design, engineering and consulting services related to water, sewer, storm sewer, hydrology and transportation.

CSX honors Gannett Fleming’s El-Aassar

Ahmed El-Aassar, Ph.D., INCE, ASA, a vice president with Environmental Acoustics, Inc., an affiliate firm of Gannett Fleming specializing in noise and air quality, has been recognized by CSX Transportation with an Outstanding Service Award in the Environmental Services Category. Based in the firm’s Lemoyne, Pa., office, El-Aassar serves as a project manager for noise and air quality projects.

Lilee Systems earns Red Hat Hardware Certification

Lilee Systems, provider of communication systems designed exclusively for the railroad industry, has achieved Red Hat Hardware Certification for the company’s WMS-2000 wayside messaging server, making it the first wayside messaging server with internal 3G, GPS and IP KVM options to achieve Red Hat certification. Now, Lilee says customers deploying WMS-2000 with embedded Red Hat Enterprise Linux are offered proven performance and reliability.

NS breaks ground on Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility

Norfolk Southern broke ground on the Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The facility, which will transfer trailers and containers between trucks and trains, will be capable of 200,000 lifts per year and will replace Norfolk Southern’s existing intermodal facility in downtown Charlotte.

KCSR receives Responsible Care Partner Award

Kansas City Southern’s subsidiary, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company, received the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Partner Award on April 30 at the 21st annual Responsible Care Conference and Expo in Hollywood, Fla.

GWI leases southeast Alabama line from NS

Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s newly-formed subsidiary, the Columbus & Chattahoochee Railroad, Inc., signed an agreement with Norfolk Southern to lease and operate a 26-mile segment of NS track that runs from Girard, Ala., to Mahrt, Ala. The CCR will interchange with NS in Columbus, Ga., where GWI’s Georgia Southwestern Railroad also has operations.

Koppers signs five-year contract extension with UP

Koppers Inc. and Union Pacific agreed to extend their existing sales contract for an additional five years through January 31, 2017. Koppers provides treated railroad crossties and other railroad-related products and services to Union Pacific.

Baltimore’s mayor wants CSX to consider city intermodal facility

Baltimore, Md., Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake urged CSX Transportation to abandon locating a proposed multi-million dollar Baltimore-Washington Rail Intermodal Facility in suburban Maryland and instead begin working immediately to identify an appropriate site within the city of Baltimore.