Rail supplier news from Lilee Systems, J.L. Paterson, NRC, Nomad, Protran, Perptuum and Parsons Brinckerhoff (July 16)

Lilee Systems announced the opening of its new San Jose, Calif., office to support the growth of research and development, engineering and sales and operations. Lilee will occupy 20,000 square feet of newly renovated space. With Cisco, the company is jointly defining, designing and implementing the rail industry's first end-to-end communication architecture for positive train control (PTC) systems to help railroads meet the federal PTC implementation deadline of Dec. 31, 2015.

The North County Transit District awarded J.L. Patterson & Associates Inc. a contract worth up to $7 million to provide bridge inspection and management services for the district’s major bridge structures. The inspections cover timber, steel and concrete structures, as well as groundwater and underwater inspections. In addition, the firm will update the district's bridge management plan and annually formulate a prioritized list of capital bridge replacements, according to a company press release.

The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) recently made financial contributions to three university rail education and training programs as part of the association's effort to support up-and-coming professionals seeking rail industry careers. The NRC made contributions to the South Dakota State University Construction and Operations Management Program, the Penn State Altoona Rail Transportation Engineering Program and the Michigan State University Certificate Course in Railway Management.

Nomad Digital has completed the first phase of its integrated wireless technology deployment for Poland's PKP intercity fleet. Contracted by T-Mobile, Nomad has led the design, build and implementation of an end-to-end solution that is expected to be the largest passenger Wi-Fi and multimedia deployment in Eastern Europe, according to a company press release.

Protran Technology has developed what it characterizes as the first real-time flood warning system that can detect water levels in flood areas that may affect transit operations, according to a company press release. The system is designed to detect a flood event, determine the level of emergency (high, medium or low), and take action automatically to inform the control center and/or supervisors of the level of emergency.

Perpetuum, together with Southeastern Railways (London), won the 2014 Railway Industry Innovation Award for Engineering and Safety, considered one of the top national awards in the rail industry, according to a company press release. The companies were recognized for their collaboration to develop a new system that aided Southeastern Railway’s condition-based maintenance.

Robert Clifford has been named vice president and Tampa, Fla., manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff. The former executive director of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, Clifford has 28 years of experience in the planning and construction of transportation facilities. Parsons Brinckerhoff also has named Rex Plummer San Diego-area manager. He has over 40 years of experience in the architecture/engineering/ construction industry. He joined Parsons Brinckerhoff in 2010 as a senior engineering manager and has been leading the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit project on behalf of the San Diego Association of Governments.