The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded a contract for the station finishes, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, ancillary buildings and entrances for the 96th Street Station of the Second Avenue Subway. The contract, valued at $324.6 million was awarded to a joint venture of E.E. Cruz and Company and Tully Construction Company Inc.
PS Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Union Pacific, has acquired the Yard Control Systems division of Ansaldo STS USA, which is based in Norristown, Pa. The acquisition boosts PST’s capabilities by adding rail yard process control and automation solutions.
Rail America has been using RailComm’s Domain Operations Controller (DOC) train control system to dispatch multiple subdivisions for their railroads since 2002. The DOC System at Rail America’s American Rail Dispatch Center will soon have the ability to dispatch based on Canadian Railroad Operating Rules (CROR). The new functionality is being designed in conjunction with Rail America personnel.
Barloworld and Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., a subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corp., a Caterpillar company, formed a joint venture, Electro-Motive Diesel Africa (Proprietary) Limited. The new joint venture will provide rail and transit customers with locomotive products and services, including access to diesel and emissions technology.
Achieving another major milestone in the Los Angeles Country Gold Line Foothill Extension construction project, crews worked 18 hours over the past several days to place more than 200 truckloads of concrete to form the superstructure and main crossbeam of the I-210 Gold Line Bridge.
AECOM Technology Corporation is part of a consortium that has been awarded a $555 million contract for a package of work on Australia’s Regional Rail Link in the state of Victoria.
Boatright Companies is building a crosstie plant in Chilton County, Ala., a $55 million investment with plans to have 100 workers by the end of next year. The new 400,000-square-foot facility on 100 acres in the Chilton County Industrial Park will put the Boatright plant on a CSX rail line and give the company the ability to more than double its current railroad tie production capacity.
Skanska has been awarded a $66 million contract from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to design and construct a test track, commissioning facility, parking garage and other facilities near the existing Greenbelt Maintenance Yard in Prince George’s County, Md. The contract will be included in the order bookings for Skanska USA Civil for the second quarter 2012.
The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Port Commission has selected David Koch as its new chief executive officer. Koch has been serving as the port’s interim CEO since December 2011 and the port’s chief operating officer starting in October 2010.
The Denver Regional Transportation District received two competitive proposals for the I-225 Light Rail Project.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and a leading advocate for the freight rail, intercity passenger rail and rail transit industries, toured the corporate headquarters offices of RailWorks Corporation in Manhattan on Thursday, June 14.
Wabtec Corporation has acquired Mors Smitt Holding, a manufacturer of electronic components for rail and industrial markets, from the investment company Eurazeo PME, for about $88 million.
Automated crosstie evaluation systems work toward removing subjectivity and improving accuracy of crosstie inspections.
Controlling grinding speed allows for the amount of metal removal to be fine-tuned and results in improved effectiveness and utilization of grinding operations.
Parsons Brinckerhoff named Greg Kelly to the newly created position of global chief operating officer. Clifford Eby succeeds Kelly as president of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Americas Transportation operating company.
To all my faithful readers, this will be the last monthly installment of “Chicago Perspective.” I thank you for giving me a platform for 13 years where my thoughts, opinions, theories and assessments of the industry have been allowed to flourish.
Industry sales veteran Eric Schook has formed Railliance, Inc., a manufacturer’s rep agency specifically focused on rail (freight, transit and industrial) industries. Schook has nearly 20 years of experience in domestic and international railway supply with Cattron, Hirschmann and Ansaldo STS.
Parsons has been awarded a contract by Canadian Pacific for the structural monitoring and advanced condition assessment of its La Crosse Rail Bridge. The bridge was one of the first 15 bridges built across the Mississippi River and it spans between La Crescent, Minn., and La Crosse, Wis.
L.B. Foster Company has completed the sale of its railway securement business to Holland, L.P. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. L.B. Foster acquired the shipping systems division as part of its acquisition of Portec Rail Products, Inc., in December 2010.
AECOM was named lead design subconsultant to a joint venture contracted to design, build and finance a spur line and passenger station as part of Ontario’s Air Rail Link (ARL). The ARL will connect the existing Georgetown GO transit line and link the city’s two busiest transportation hubs – Union Station downtown and Toronto Pearson International Airport.
