Rail supplier news from Skanska, Alstom, KB Signaling, Hitachi and RSI (July 8)

Skanska, in a joint venture with FlatironDragados, signed a contract with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority to complete the Long Bridge North project in Washington, D.C. Skanska's share of the contract is valued at $658 million, Skanska officials said. The new 1 mile rail bridge will replace the existing two-track structure to enhance the rail corridor between East Potomac Park to Washington, D.C.'s L'Enfant interlocking, according to a Skanska press release. Skanska will refurbish the eastern tracks for predominant use by CSX, and build new western tracks to be used mainly by Amtrak and the Virginia Railway Express. Construction will begin this month; completion is expected in December 2030.

Alstom has received notice it has been awarded the $2.3 billion contract by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to manufacture 316 rail cars for MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA Metro-North Railroad. The contract also includes the option for the MTA to order up to 242 additional cars for $1.5 billion. The new M-9A passenger vehicles will replace the 40-year-old M-3 cars, Alstom officials said in a press release. Alstom will assemble the rail cars  in Hornell, New York. Production will take place in Hornell and Plattsburgh, New York, and West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

KB Signaling Inc.'s Electro Code 6 (EC6) track circuit has reached a milestone: More than 800 VTI-2E modules, or about 4,800 miles of signaled track, have been sold and installed throughout North America. The EC6 track circuit provides two-way safety digital communications through rails. This supports train detection, signal aspect transmission, broken rail identification and date integrity verification. According to KB Signaling, several Class I railroads and transit authorities across North America are using the EC6 track circuit.

Hitachi Rail's limited express train, Series N100 SPACIA X, was awarded the 2025 Red Dot Award for product design by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany. The SPACIA X began operating in July 2023, connecting Asakusa with the Nikko and Kinugawa areas of Japan. The Red Dot design award is an international product design competition held in Germany since 1955, Hitachi officials said in a press release. The SPACIA X was selected for the award based on its "outstanding integration of regional characteristics, architecture, culture and atmosphere," they said.

The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) announced its Chair Robert Oesch died July 3. Oesch served as vice president of North American commercial at Amsted Rail, and brought expertise, strategic insight and commitment to his role on the RSI board, RSI officials said in a press release. "Rob was not only a respected leader but also a kind and thoughtful person who brought people together. His legacy will live on in the many lives he touched and the progress he helped drive within our industry," said RSI Vice Chair Greg Dalpe.