Rail supplier news from Koppers, Atkins, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Alstom, Plenary Infrastructure, Zebra and AREMA (Jan. 23)

Koppers Inc. has acquired the creosote distribution business of KMG Chemicals Inc. for $12.5 million plus the fair market value of inventory, which is estimated at $3 million. The acquisition includes the transfer of leased rail cars and storage tanks from KMG to Koppers, as well as various customer agreements. Operating results from the business will be included in Koppers Carbon Materials and Chemicals business segment, according to a company press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) selected Atkins for a second five-year, $13 million contract to provide project management oversight of federally funded mass transit projects nationwide. Since 2009, Atkins has served as the FTA’s project management oversight consultant on assignments that include the streetcar projects in Portland, Ore., and Tucson, Ariz., and the 10-mile Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension in California.

Parsons Brinckerhoff has named Karen Hedlund director of public-private partnerships. A former deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Hedlund will work with federal, state and local transportation agencies, and private companies to facilitate financing and development of transportation projects through public-private partnerships. She previously was the FRA's chief counsel and oversaw the administration's Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program.

Delhi Metro Rail Corp. awarded Alstom two contracts worth $73.9 million to supply signaling, telecom and electrification systems for the new Kochi metro line. The projects will be implemented in early 2016 and commercial service is scheduled to begin in March 2016. Alstom is in charge of the design, manufacturing, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of Urbalis 400, its communication-based train control system.

Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario have selected Plenary Infrastructure ERMF to design, build, finance and maintain the East Rail Maintenance Facility in Whitby, Ontario, to support GO Transit's planned service expansion in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area. The project includes the construction of yard tracks and a 500,000-square-foot facility to accommodate the storage of 13 passenger trains with 12 cars.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Transit Wireless are using Zebra Technologies Corp.'s wireless local area network technology to deliver Wi-Fi service to MTA New York City Transit's subway stations.

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) named Scott Hudson secretary for Committee 12-Rail Transit. The committee is responsible for developing and publishing information on light- and heavy-rail transit systems and their design, construction and rehabilitation, in particular Chapter 12 of AREMA’s Manual for Railway Engineering.