Relocating a small city going as planned for MxV Rail

From left: MxV Rail’s Senior Management Shawn Vecellio, Tammy Bregar, Kari Gonzales, Ken Laine, and Chris Bolt, director of Operations at PuebloPlex.

MxV Rail

MxV Rail, formerly TTCI, is in the process of a move to a new headquarters and test facilities that could be compared to relocating a small city.

The team and its suppliers achieved a major milestone this week by breaking ground on a new, custom test loop to support the long-term research needs of the rail industry. 

MxV Rail employees visited the site just east of Pueblo, Colo., to celebrate the groundbreaking and get an update on the construction build out. The event demonstrated the continued progress and accelerated schedule that is underway to establish MxV Rail’s new railroad testing facility at the PuebloPlex campus. 

The High Speed Loop (HSL), on schedule for completion in September 2022, will be MxV Rail’s largest test loop at 5.8 miles and will support a vast array of freight and passenger rail programs including Association of American Railroads (AAR) M-976 truck testing, performance testing for new rail technologies, and qualification testing for rolling stock. 

“This new facility is the chance of a lifetime for our team of railroad experts and specialists. We took the best aspects of our old test loops and designed track not only capable of supporting today’s rail industry but also an ideal test bed for proving tomorrow’s transportation innovations,” said MxV Rail’s AVP of Operations Shawn Vecellio. “Based on feedback from our clients and research partners, we all look forward to putting this track to the test.”

Less than a year ago, MxV Rail announced a bold plan to establish a new footprint by transitioning into a multi-campus operation designed for training, laboratory research, and on-track testing. The team is currently moving an estimated $75-100 million in assets to support all facets of operations at the PuebloPlex facilities and at office and laboratory space in the Pueblo Industrial Park. The development at PuebloPlex provides a significant opportunity for MxV Rail to create an independent, cost-effective, and fully confidential operation with the flexibility to expand its offerings to suit the ever-evolving needs of the industry. 

“Few places in the world provide real-world conditions for rail technology testing. The combination of the team at MxV Rail and our newly designed infrastructure puts any rail research or testing project in the best of hands,“ said MxV Rail President & CEO Kari Gonzales. “We are on schedule, and the credit for this milestone goes to the team of talent at MxV Rail and the support of our partners at PuebloPlex.”

At a time of widespread supply chain disruptions, MxV Rail has been able to meet its schedule and count on a number of local vendors and contractors including Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc., Martin Marietta Parkdale Quarry, Special Trackwork Inc., H.E. Whitlock, Inc., and EVRAZ Steel. The project also has involved vendors A&K Railroad Materials, Inc., R.J. Corman Railroad Group, Progress Rail, and David Evans & Associates. The team expects to work with more local and regional suppliers moving forward. 

Chris Bolt, Director of Operations, Pueblo Plex, was on-site for the groundbreaking and noted the progress. “MxV Rail continues to hit its milestones for their new headquarters, and we’re looking forward to their success. There hasn’t been a question yet that the team couldn’t answer, or an operations challenge that they couldn’t solve, which makes our job easier and makes it all the more rewarding to be part of their transition.”

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