Rail supplier news from Siemens, RATP, HARTING, Eversheds Sutherland and TekTracking (Nov. 21)

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) late last week put its first Siemens-built light-rail vehicle into revenue service. In total, Siemens will deliver 219 rail cars for the Muni light-rail system, marking the company's largest order for light-rail cars in the United States. Built at Siemens' manufacturing hub in Sacramento, California, the units feature a new seating configuration and new interior and exterior design. Earlier this month, the first five new light-rail vehicles were cleared for passenger service.

RATP Dev North America will integrate Ideagen's Coruson software into its new drive2zero™ safety and security framework. RATP will use the Coruson cloud-based software system to directly manage safety, risk and operational performance across all bus, paratransit and rail services. In particular, Coruson will enable RATP to pinpoint locations of incidents, provide real-time status of incidents and conduct root-cause analysis, Ideagen's Coruson Project Lead Andrew McIntyre said in a press release.

German trade magazine Design & Elektronik has named the HARTING Technology Group "Innovator of the Year." The company received the honor in the electromechanics category for its ix Industrial® connector, which was jointly developed by HARTING and Japan's HIROSE technology group. The connector is a miniaturized ethernet interface for high-data rates, HARTING officials said in a press release.

Eversheds Sutherland served as legal adviser for DB Engineering and Consulting USA Inc.'s bid to serve as early train operator for the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHRSA). Part of Germany's Deutsche Bahn AG, DB Engineering and Consulting won the early train operator contract last week. Under the agreement, the company will provide CHSRA with an operating perspective during the planning and procurement of civil works, rolling stock and facilities. After construction is completed, DB Engineering and Consulting will have the option to become the initial operator of the high-speed rail project's first phase. Eversheds Sutherland will continue to advise the company on the project's next phases.

TekTracking LLC has named Gregory Fogarty chief executive officer. The appointment is part of a planned leadership transition aimed at advancing the company's offerings in the North American rail industry, TekTracking officials said in a press release. Fogarty has more than 16 years of technical sales and executive management experience with complex transportation markets. He previously served as vice president of sales with Tyler Technologies, a software firm. TekTracking's suite of products is aimed at helping freight and passenger railroads improve safety and efficiency, and cut operating costs.