Rail supplier news from Wabtec, ProTran, Harsco Rail, Schneider National, Alstom and Caterpillar (Dec. 17)

Wabtec Corp. obtained a $34 million contract from Sound Transit to design, install, test and commission a positive train control system on the commuter railroad. Wabtec will provide its Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS®) and install the equipment on 16 locomotives and 18 passenger-transit cab cars. Wabtec also will provide signal design and communications, mapping and systems integration. Sound Transit’s system will be interoperable with PTC systems being implemented by Class Is. Wabtec divisions involved in the project include Wabtec Railway Electronics, Wabtec Global Services, Xorail and Bach-Simpson.

Earlier this month, ProTran Technology and Harsco Rail signed a distribution agreement in which Harsco will be the exclusive worldwide representative and distribution agent for ProTran products. “The partnership between ProTran Technology and Harsco will expedite our mutual goals of promoting safety in the rail industry through real time advanced warning technology,” said ProTran Vice President Shannon Bailey in a press release.

Schneider National Inc. is making a “significant investment” in its intermodal service by creating a company-owned and -managed chassis fleet, company officials said in a press release. The new equipment is among a series of investments and improvements that Schneider is deploying to deliver “truck-like” service in the intermodal segment. Schneider’s new chassis fleet will help address a long-lingering issue in the intermodal segment: consistent access to lightweight, quality chassis when and where shippers need them, Schneider officials said.

With the Dec. 15 opening of a direct high-speed line between Paris and Barcelona, Alstom high-speed trains crossed their 16th border. The company is the only rail manufacturer to have built more than 1,100 high-speed cross-border trains in service in 18 different countries, according to a company press release. The TGV Duplex and AVE S100 trains that will travel on the Paris-Barcelona line have all been designed and produced by Alstom.

Caterpillar Inc. announced Vice President Hans Haefeli, who is in charge of the Advanced Components and Systems Division, will retire on April 30, 2014. Jean Savage has been appointed vice president to succeed him. Haefeli joined Caterpillar 15 years ago after establishing a career in finance and accounting in the United Kingdom. Beginning in 1982, Haefeli worked his way up through positions at U.K. accounting firms, and then held leadership positions at Hanson PLC. Savage, who joined Caterpillar in 2002, currently is a senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Locomotive and Railcar Services business unit for Caterpillar subsidiary Progress Rail Services.