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• The Houston Rapid Transit Joint Venture (HRT) received a $121 million “notice to proceed” from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, for an early phase of a light-rail transit system (LRT) expansion in Houston. HRT — which is led by Parsons Transportation Group Inc. and includes Granite Construction Co, Kiewit Texas Construction L.P and Stacy and Witbeck — was awarded the $1.28 billion design/build contract earlier this year. HRT is responsible for expanding the existing system into four new corridors totaling an additional 20 LRT miles. The project also includes 32 stations, storage and inspection facilities, and an operations center renovation.

• RailWorks Corp. named William Dorris vice president and area manager for the Greater Chicago area for its operating subsidiary RailWorks Track Services Inc. Under Dorris’ leadership during the past several years, RailWorks’ Chicago-based track construction operations achieved revenue growth of more than 200 percent, the company said in a prepared statement. In his new position, Dorris will expand his geographic base to include northern Indiana and Michigan. The 32-year industry veteran also will lead a project to construct the track infrastructure for Union Pacific Railroad’s new intermodal yard in Joliet, Ill.

• Hirschmann Automation and Control Inc. named Cleveland Parker managing director of the ECS Division for the Americas. In his new position, Parker will be responsible for the ECS business’ sales and operations in North and South America. Parker has 20 years of experience in building products, information and media, and distribution, most recently with Beacon Supply and McGraw Hill Construction.

• RailComm Inc. announced that Lake State Railroad Co. is using RailComm’s Web-based Crew Call Software in order to comply with the Federal Railroad Administration’s new hours-of -service law (FRA Regulation 49 USC Chapter 211), which went into effect July 16. The system can stand alone or, in the future, be integrated with RailComm’s Domain Operations Controller (DOC®) mainline train-control system, the company said in a prepared statement.

• MTU Detroit Diesel recently launched a Web site (www.2-cycle.mtu-online.com) dedicated to Detroit Diesel 2-Cycle engines. The site’s goal: to show MTU’s 2-Cycle customers that “the product is fully supported by MTU and its distributor organization,” said Dave Sears, director of after sales for MTU Detroit Diesel, in a prepared statement. “Further, this site enables our customers to get the specific information they need as simply and efficiently as possible.”