Rail supplier news from Bombardier, Protran, SightLogix, Cubic, Alstom, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Dewberry and AIAI (July 30)

Bombardier Transportation announced that SNCF exercised an option for 22 additional Francilien commuter EMUs. The order, co-financed by SNCF and STIF, the Ile-de-France transportation authority, is valued at $218 million and is part of the initial 2006 contract for up to 372 trains for the Ile-de-France. With this order, a total of 194 Francilien trains have been ordered. The 22 additional trains will be delivered by the end of 2016. Currently, 136 Bombardier Francilien trains operate from the Paris stations Gare du Nord, Gare de L'Est and Gare Saint Lazare.

Protran Technology has delivered the first set of advanced Collision Avoidance Systems to a major east coast transit agency. The orders are the first of what is expected to be several hundred per year, said Protran Director of Rail Operations Mike Davis in a press release. The system is designed to prevent accidents between vehicles, damage to equipment, and injuries to operators and track personnel. It can detect accurate distances up to 1000 feet or greater in the harshest conditions, including tunnels and curves, Davis said.

SightSensor smart thermal cameras from SightLogix have been deployed to increase security at a major Class I. The advanced video detection technology is being funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 2011 Freight Rail Security Grant Program. Communication Concepts Inc., a certified SightLogix systems integrator, was awarded the contract to design and install the systems.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a more than $8 million contract to convert existing paper magnetic fare card vending machines to sales and reload devices for WMATA's SmarTrip® contactless smart card. The project is part of the agency’s plan to eliminate paper ticketing from its fare system to all contactless media by spring 2016. Cubic will upgrade more than 500 machines with hardware kits including smart card readers and related software on all Metrorail lines.

Alstom and Transmashholding (TMH) have obtained the necessary certification confirming their TMH 2ES5 locomotive complies with Russian mandatory safety norms. By 2020, 200 units will be delivered to the Russian Railways (RZD). Developed by TRTrans, the engineering center jointly operated by Alstom and TMH, the 2ES5 electric locomotive is Russia’s first mainline freight AC locomotive with asynchronous motors.

Lauren Isaac has been named manager of sustainable transportation for Parsons Brinckerhoff's San Francisco office. From 2006 to 2013, Isaac was manager of transit effectiveness and management in the firm's strategic consulting practice, serving as project manager or task leader on transportation industry consulting engagements throughout North America. She also co-founded and served as chief executive officer of Next Insight Transportation Software L.L.C., a transportation software company developing solutions for transit agencies.

Dewberry has hired Rachel Vandenberg as the national director for ports and intermodal. She will oversee civil infrastructure, facility engineering and architectural design projects. Vandenberg has more than 25 years of experience in strategic planning, engineering, and project management for multimodal transportation projects. She has managed relationships with a client base that includes state departments of transportation, self-help counties, regional transportation and transit agencies, Class Is, cities, private operators and developers, and port authorities.

The Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure's (AIAI) board has introduced the AIAI Best Practices Guide, an educational resource for public-private partnerships. The first-of-its-kind publication serves as a national source for P3 best practices, according to an AIAI press release.