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• Siemens Rail Systems won a contract from the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) to modify and refurbish 21 light-rail vehicles (LRTs). SacRT acquired the vehicles — which originally were built by Urban Transportation Development Corp. — from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. The LRTs went into operation in 1987 and have been in storage since SacRT acquired them in 2003. The refurbishment will add about 15 years of useful life to the vehicles; new ones typically last 30 years. Siemens also will modernize the vehicle's communications, event recorders and auxiliary power systems.

• BNSF Railway Co.’s Belen Yard in New Mexico has added RailComm’s Blue Flag Indicator (BFI) System at the facility, according to a press release. The system enables a user to apply blue flag protection to the fueling tracks through the use of strategically located field control panels, which are outfitted with keypad security that only allow verified personnel to operate the system. The BFIs are positioned in pairs at different locations along the track. RailComm’s 2.4 GHz RADiANT™ spread spectrum data radios are used to provide reliable and secure communication between the field and control locations, RailComm said.

• Hub Group Inc. has been named a 2012 “Partner in Transformation” for Sears Holdings Corp. The company was recognized for financial and operational discipline, according to a Hub Group press release. Sears Holdings presents the award to less than one-half percent of its 30,000 suppliers. “The relationships we build with our customers are the most critical aspect of our continued success and we are extremely pleased to be recognized by Sears for this accomplishment,” said David Yeager, Hub Group chairman and chief executive officer.

• Las Vegas Railway Express Inc. has announced the selection of R&O Construction as the general contractor for the X Train’s Las Vegas Station. The company plans to establish a luxury passenger train service between southern California and Las Vegas. The firm was chosen in part because of its “long-term commitment to green building practices and safety,” said Las Vegas Railway Express President Mike Barron in a prepared statement.

• For the second quarter, FreightCar America Inc. reported net income of $5.6 million, or 46 cents per diluted share, compared with net income of $200,000, or 2 cents per diluted share, for the same quarter a year earlier. Revenue jumped to $181.2 million compared with $97.6 million in second-quarter 2011. The company delivered 2,786 rail cars in the second quarter, of which 1,815 were new, 361 were used and 610 were leased. This compares with 1,309 cars delivered during the same period last year. In addition, 961 units were ordered in the quarter compared with 1,089 units ordered in the same 2011 period. The total manufacturing backlog was 5,109 units on June 30 compared with 4,986 units on June 30, 2011.

• Crouch Engineering has added new management positions and specialized departments as part of a restructuring to accommodate nationwide growth, company officials said in a prepared statement. Changes to upper management include the promotion of Jay Harris to operations manager; the appointment of Ethan Underwood to manager of surveying and the new Surveying and Mapping Department; the promotion of Troy Tant to manager of rail projects; the naming of William Cedzich to manager of Geotechnical and Construction; and the naming of Kyle McKinney to manager of technicians in the IT department.

• Gannett Fleming has named David Thomas director of the southeast region. Based in Miami, he also serves as the firm’s national director of transit and rail, and is a member of the firm’s board, according to a press release. Thomas, who has more than 38 years of leadership experience, will be responsible for the operational management, business development, strategic growth and profitability of the firm’s 14 offices and nearly 200 employees in the firm’s southeast region. He will oversee planning, design and management of the region’s civil, transportation and environmental projects.

• PTSI Transportation marked its 40th anniversary in July. Although the company was founded in July 1972, its roots go back to the Carl R. Englund Jr. consultancy, which started in 1955, PTSI officials said in a press release. Englund and later Carl R. Englund Jr. and Son, were among the first railway passenger service specialist consultants, and Carl Englund III remains an adviser to PTSI. Passenger Transportation Specialists Inc. was incorporated in New York in 1985, and now is a Colorado corporation. The firm has served hundreds of freight-, passenger- and transit-rail clients, PTSI officials said.