Rail supplier news from Bombardier, Thales, Kelso, AXION and Parsons Brinckerhoff (March 24)

Deutsche Bahn recently ordered 29 TALENT 2 multiple units from Bombardier Transportation for the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland commuter-rail service in central Germany. The contract between the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Regio and Bombardier is valued at $203 million, and marks the 13th call-off from a framework agreement concluded in 2007 with a volume of more than $1.4 billion.

Thales obtained a contract from CCR Metro Bahia to provide its SelTrac® communications-based train control (CBTC) signaling system on lines 1 and 2 of a new integrated metro system in Salvador, Brazil. The contract marks the third for a CBTC system in Brazil since 2010.

Kelso Technologies Inc. has formed a strategic business and engineering alliance with SafeRack Loading Rack Technologies. The goal is to incorporate Kelso's one-bolt Kelso Klincher® Manway technology as an integral part of a new generation of high-capacity crude oil loading terminal systems designed and provided by SafeRack. SafeRack is a leading expert in crude oil and liquid natural gas loading terminal engineering, procurement and construction services for the railroad and trucking industry, according to a Kelso press release.

AXION International Holdings Inc. recently announced the company's entry into Asia. The company received approval to start in-track testing for its ECOTRAX® rail ties with one of the "busiest transit lines in the world," according to a prepared statement. "We believe we are at a trajectory for continued growth and hope to shorten our sales cycle as our product gains provability and as the global rail industry and more countries are exposed to the superiority and benefits of our recycled plastics," said Cory Burdick, manager of the ECOTRAX® Rail Division.

Parsons Brinckerhoff has named Rock Antonios a senior project engineer, and Angel Velazquez a technical specialist. Based in New York City, Antonios will serve as the lead mechanical-electrical-pluming engineer for the Fulton Center. Prior to joining the firm, he was a department head and group leader with several international engineering firms and a senior project manager for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) capital program. Based in Newark, N.J., Velazquez will be responsible for the design and review of plans for railroads and transit signal projects. Prior to joining the firm, he served in increasingly responsible roles with MTA New York City Transit.