Rail supplier updates from Siemens, CIG, Bombardier, Alstom, The Andersons, and Skelly and Loy (Sept. 10)

On Sept. 16, the Sacramento Regional Transit District will begin operating the first set of Siemens-refurbished light-rail vehicles along the Blue Line-to-Cosumnes River College extension. The additional vehicles are intended to increase capacity on the extension and throughout the agency's light-rail system. Siemens is refurbishing a total of 21 light-rail vehicles that will eventually go into operation system-wide. The work included overhauling trucks, modernizing communications, event recorders and auxiliary power systems, and updating HVAC units and exterior bodies. The rehabbed vehicles were originally slated to enter operation today, but the agency needed to complete additional modifications to the wheelchair ramp at the Royal Oaks Station to accommodate the units' outward-facing doors, Siemens officials said.

CIG Logistics opened a new rail terminal in Jal, N.M., in an effort to reduce costs related to transportation, transloading and storage for oil producers operating in the Delaware Basin. The sixth terminal in CIG Logistics' network, the Jal facility includes more than 550 rail-car spots and 12,000 tons of silo storage capacity. The location was chosen to help oil producers decrease distance from the rail terminal to well head, CIG officials said in a press release.

Bombardier Transportation's joint venture obtained another contract with Chinese New United Group to provide its MITRAC propulsion and control equipment for the Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp. The scope of the contract includes engineering, manufacturing, testing, commissioning and the initial delivery of spare parts for traction convertors for the Beijing Metro Line 16. This marks the fourth contract for the joint venture, which is known as Bombardier CPC Propulsion System Co. Ltd. Altogether, the contracts are worth about $136 million, with Bombardier's direct share valued at around $30 million.

Metrolinx awarded Alstom a $127 million contract to provide a new computer-based integrated train control system for the greater Toronto and Hamilton area. The commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2018. Under the contract, Alstom will provide its "Iconis" solution to integrate the agency's rail network into a single control center featuring advanced traffic control and operations management functionality.

The Andersons Inc. appointed Pat Bowe president and chief executive officer, effective Nov. 2. Bowe has more than 35 years' experience in the agricultural sector and most recently served as corporate vice president for Cargill Inc.'s food ingredient and systems platform. In that role, he was responsible for strategy, capital allocation decisions, customer relationship management, and leading key sourcing and business excellence initiatives. At The Andersons, Bowe will assume the duties of Mike Anderson.

Francis Gally III was promoted to director of civil engineering at Skelly and Loy. In his new role, Gally will oversee staff, projects and resources of the firm's civil engineering services group. He has more than 17 years of engineering experience handling public- and private-sector projects.

[Editor's note: This story was updated after its initial posting.]