Rail supplier news from Alstom, Harsco Rail, Kiel, Trinity, Louis Berger, Cubic and Cisco (Sept. 11)

Alstom and its joint venture partner Shanghai Alstom Transport Electrical Equipment Co. Ltd. (SATEE) have been awarded a $27 million contract by Nanjing Metro Group to provide traction systems and associated services for Line 12 of the Nanjing Metro in China. Line 12 is expected to enter commercial operations by the end of 2015. Alstom and SATEE will provide traction systems equipped with their Optonix technology for 144 metro cars.

Harsco Rail has signed an agreement to gain exclusive worldwide sales and marketing rights of MRail's vertical track deflection measurement technology, which already is in service and has been tested by Class Is in North America. The technology has been shown to be a valuable asset to plan track maintenance, reduce track maintenance costs, improve safety and evaluate maintenance practices, according to a Harsco press release. The measurement system was developed in cooperation with and support from the Federal Railroad Administration and the University of Nebraska.

Kiel North America will deliver 204 new streetcars featuring Kiel light-rail seats to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Bombardier Transportation will install more than 15,000 Kiel Simos seats in Flexity streetcars for TTC until an order is completed in 2018, according to Kiel.

Trinity Industries Inc. announced the election of Antonio Carrillo to its board. The board's action expands its membership from 10 to 11 members. Since 2012, Carrillo has served as chief executive officer of Mexichem S.A.B., a global specialty chemical firm that is one of the largest companies traded on the Mexican Stock Exchange. Prior to joining Mexichem, Carrillo spent 16 years at Trinity, where he most recently served as senior vice president and group president of the Energy Equipment Group.

Louis Berger has promoted Edward Searle to vice president in charge of international rail and transit. In his new role, Searle will provide strategic direction for the rail and transit practice across the international operating company. He joined Louis Berger in June 2013. During the past year, he led the company's efforts on the Doha Metro program, which is part of the Qatar Rail development program.

Cubic Transportation Systems has entered into a strategic alliance and license agreement with SenSen Networks, an Australia-based company with international reach in the video analytics market. The alliance gives Cubic the ability to distribute SenSen’s products and solutions that align with Cubic's NextCity vision, and create new solutions for smart cities and international transportation systems, according to a Cubic press release.

Cisco has unveiled its new Connected Transportation Solutions, which includes Cisco Positive Train Control. Cisco PTC, combined with partner technologies, is designed to help prevent train collisions, derailments and other human-caused rail accidents. The solution integrates onboard, trackside, wayside, signaling and back-office systems. Although the federal PTC mandate applies only to U.S. rail operators, railroads outside of the United States can use this same technology to ensure that they comply with their country's safety requirements, according to a Cisco press release.