Rail supplier news from Thales, Alstom, Hyperloop, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Railway Interchange (Dec. 23)

Thales' board today elected Patrice Caine chairman and chief executive officer. He will prepare the separation of the role of CEO, which he will hold, and the role of chairman, which will be held by Henri Proglio. Both appointments are subject to confirmation at the company's next annual meeting.

Alstom was awarded two contracts for the maintenance of 82 regional trains in Sweden. A contract with SJ for Vasttrafik commuter and regional trains will begin this month, and a 10-year contract with Arriva for Ostgota Trafiken commuter trains will start in June 2015. The Vasttrafik fleet consists of 63 Electrical Multiple Units (EMU) trains, 22 of which are Coradia Nordic trains manufactured by Alstom. The Ostgota Trafik fleet comprises 19 EMUs, of which 13 are Coradia Nordic trains.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Inc., powered by JumpStartFund, recently advanced the company's goal of creating a working high-speed mass transit system. The milestones include the finalization of the company's 100 core team members and the publishing of a new document that highlights detailed cost, route and safety analyses of the project.

Paul Neal, a principal in the Washington, D.C., office of Parsons Brinckerhoff, has been elected president of the International Air Rail Organization (IARO). Neal has been IARO vice president since 2012. His term as president will expire in November 2016. Meanwhile, Parsons Brinckerhoff named Rob Yirigian deputy area manager in the Glastonbury, Conn., office. Yirigian's role will support business development and operations in the state and will continue to manage the firm's management contract for the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail program.

Railway Interchange 2015 registration for attendees and exhibitors will begin Feb. 2. The combined exhibition and technical conference will be held Oct. 4-7 at the Minneapolis Convention Center and BNSF Railway Co.’s Northtown yard. Exhibits will be open Oct. 4-6; exhibition booth space sales are underway. Railway Interchange 2015 will feature technical and educational presentations and discussions by members of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA), and the Coordinated Mechanical Associations (CMA). The exhibition will showcase the latest technology, services and research by members of the Railway Supply Institute (RSI), the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) and Railway Systems Suppliers Inc. (RSSI).