Rail supplier news from Alstom, GE, Bombardier, DXC Technology, HNTB and Ballard (Dec. 14)

Alstom won a contract to equip Israel Railways' rolling stock fleet with European Train Control System Level 2 onboard equipment. The contract covers the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the system, which will be Alstom's Atlas solution. The design of the project is expected to begin in January. Alstom also has obtained a contract from Mumbai Metro Rail Corp. Ltd. to provide a communications-based train control system for line 3 of the Mumbai Metro. Alstom will equip the line with its Urbalis 400 system. In addition, in a consortium with Bombardier Transportation, Alstom will supply 13 additional DT5 metros to Hamburger Hochbahn AG. As part of the contract, Alstom will provide mechanical components, including the trucks and braking system, while Bombardier will supply electrical and traction equipment, passenger information systems and vehicle control technology.

GE Transportation and Ukrainian Railways yesterday marked the first Evolution Series locomotive to enter service in the Ukraine. The locomotive delivery is part of an ongoing cooperative effort to upgrade the nation's diesel-electric rail fleet. GE now has fulfilled an order for 30 locomotives that the railway placed in the first quarter as part of a long-term framework agreement. The companies also plan to explore additional new locomotives over the next 10 years, the rehabilitation of existing locomotives and long-term maintenance services. The TE33A locomotives for the Ukraine will haul grain, ore and metals. Designed for the wider temperature and operating conditions in the nation, the locomotives feature a 12-cylinder, 4,500-horsepower Evolution-series engine.

Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd. (BST) won a $453 million contract from China Railway Corp. to supply 168 new Chinese standard high-speed rail cars. Bombardier Transportation owns half the shares in BST, a joint venture with CRRC Sifang Co. Ltd. Configured into 15 8-car trainsets and three 16-car trainsets, the 168 cars are designed to reach operating speeds of more than 200 mph. As a consortium leader, Bombardier also delivered a wayside rail system for the latest extension to Bangkok’s Skytrain. Bombardier was responsible for system integration, coordinating delivery from all partners, engineering wayside subsystem interfaces and providing its CITYFLO 450 rail-control system.

DXC Technology won a contract from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to transform its enterprise asset management capabilities and support its digital transformation. Under a multi-year contract, DXC will deploy a next-generation enterprise asset management system designed to help the MTA plan, track and optimize maintenance activities of it assets and infrastructure. DXC has established a center of expertise in New York City to implement best practices in asset management and performance, and will work with the MTA to hire and train engineering interns and graduates from local universities. The goal: to find solutions that provide MTA employees real-time access to critical information to keep trains and buses running safely, efficiently and reliably, DXC officials said in a press release.

HNTB Corp. has appointed Paresh Patel associate vice president and project director in its New York transit/rail practice. He has more than 30 years of transit design and construction experience with MTA New York City Transit (NYCT). Patel previously served as NYCT’s program officer, leading $1.4 billion worth of communications-based train control and signaling system projects that included project management and construction management, and overall system integration. He also was involved in the $225 million rehabilitation of NYCT’s Montague Tube, a recovery and resiliency project to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Ballard Power Systems obtained a purchase order from Porterbrook Leasing Co. Ltd. to provide a fuel-cell module and related support to power a HydroFLEX train in the United Kingdom. Porterbrook’s Class 319 electric train will feature Ballard's power module. In addition, Ballard will provide system controls development, mechanical integration of subsystems and other components. The HydroFLEX will be the U.K.'s first fully sized hydrogen demonstrator train, according to Ballard. Testing and demonstration runs are planned for summer 2019 at RailLive in Warwickshire.