Rail supplier news from Alstom, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Norgren; Also, in memoriam: GREX's Edwin Snead (Feb. 2)

Alstom's signaling activities, including rail control, have been rated at Capability Maturity Model Integration level 3 by LogiQual Inc., according to an Alstom press release. The rating covers eight regional centers  and 19 projects around the world. The processes, procedures and tools are now standardized to give a consistent level of quality of all signaling activity across the company, Alstom officials said.

The Regional Municipality of Waterloo's board voted to exercise a three-year option to extend its existing light-rail transit contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff and WSP. The $1 billion, two-stage project will bring light rail to the Waterloo region, which includes the cities of Cambridge, Waterloo and Kitchener in southern Ontario. As the region’s general engineering consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff and WSP are responsible for developing the output specifications for procurement, supporting the public-private partnership procurement process and managing the overall program, including construction management services.

Norgren has become part of a new division of longtime parent company, IMI plc. All of IMI’s fluid power businesses are now part of IMI Precision Engineering. Norgren's products have become IMI Norgren, one of a portfolio of flagship product brands that also includes IMI Buschjost, IMI FAS, IMI Maxseal and IMI Herion, according to a company press release.

Edwin de Steiguer "Ned" Snead, the founder and chairman emeritus of Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. (GREX), died Jan. 22 in Georgetown, Texas. He was 85. Snead's innovative engineering ideas, designs and creativity helped pave the way for many improvements in rail industry practices, GREX officials said in a press release. He was responsible for many patents, the more notable of which were the DumpTrain^® and Slot Train, they said.