Rail supplier news from Herzog, Miller Ingenuity, Masabi, CarMath, Hanson and CH2M (June 17)

Herzog Technologies Inc. earlier this week formally announced the availability of its Herzog PTC Hosting system to all North American railroads implementing positive train control (PTC). The system provides PTC messaging capabilities, back office software-as-a-service and a variety of other PTC services to help railroads meet necessary requirements without large upfront capital investments or long set-up times, Herzog officials said in a press release. Herzog PTC Hosting also includes a back office service and key exchange server software running on the HTI infrastructure. The system was designed and implemented by HTI in partnership with Red Hat Consulting, Meteorcomm Communications and other technology partners.

Miller Ingenuity has developed a new roadway worker protection system that's designed to detect the approach of all trains, roadway maintenance machines and hi-rail vehicles into a work zone. The system is portable and requires no attachment to a locomotive or to rail. In addition, it can help protect any size work zone with direct alerts provided to an unlimited number of equipped workers under any weather conditions, according to Miller Ingenuity. The company's system is the only kind that allows a work crew to create their own safe zone of protection independently of other departments, said Miller Ingenuity President and Chief Executive Officer Steven Blue. The technology can be applied in both freight- and passenger-rail applications and will be available for sale in the fourth quarter.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has contracted Masabi to continue delivering mobile ticketing services across all the agency's commuter-rail and ferry operations. The agreement is aimed at enhancing MBTA's existing mobile ticketing system, which was launched in fall 2012. The "JustRide" platform has experienced continued growth since its inception, with more than one-third of MBTA's commuter-rail tickets purchased on smartphones. An updated version of the app will be deployed later this year and will include mobile wallets such as MasterPass and ApplePay to streamline the purchase process, Masabi officials said in a press release.

CarMath Inc. recently acquired more than 80 286K GRL PD covered hoppers equipped with food-grade linings. The cars can be used for both food and non-food grade commodities. Located in the Midwest, CarMath has been leasing rail cars since 1990 and can lease both large and small groups of cars with a variety of leasing options, company officials said in a press release. The company's car fleet includes covered hoppers, box cars, gondolas and pressure differential cars.

The Tanana River Bridge in Salcha, Alaska, has been honored by the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois during its annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards. Designed by Hanson Professional Services Inc., the 3,300-foot bridge was named the winner in the category for projects worth more than $150 million. The bridge is the first phase of Alaska Railroad Corp.'s Northern Rail Extension, a project that will create an 80-mile railway between Delta Junction and North Pole, Alaska. Hanson has been providing design engineering services since 2006 for the four-phase extension project, including addressing geotechnical, hydraulic and seismic issues for the bridge.

RailPros has awarded a project management services contract to CH2M to assist with the development and implementation of the Redlands Passenger Rail Project for the San Bernardino Associated Governments. As a subcontractor to the project's lead manager, CH2M will provide planning, coordination and risk assessment for the project. CH2M will also assist in vehicle acquisition and conducting the fare collection system study.