Rail supplier updates from Northeast Maglev, Thales, Bentley, Plasser & Theurer, L.B. Foster and ZTR (Jan. 15)

The Northeast Maglev has named Nazih Haddad executive vice president, effective Feb 3. He will manage the development of a high-speed rail system between Washington, D.C., and New York City, using superconducting Maglev technology, according to a company press release. His duties will include day-to-day project activities and work with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, and state and local governments in securing the necessary approvals for construction. Haddad has more than three decades of experience in the transportation and passenger-rail sectors.

Thales obtained the first ETCS Level 2 signaling and telecommunications contract for the suburban rail line between Mexico City and Toluca, Mexico. The contract was awarded as part of a consortium of Spanish companies and their Mexican subsidiaries. Thales will install GSM-R and other systems. The contract represents the first implementation of the ETCS Level 2 signaling solution in North America, according to a Thales press release.

Bentley Systems Inc., which provides software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, announced Tuesday that it has acquired U.K.-based C3global, a provider of web-based "Amulet" software for operational analytics.

Plasser & Theurer recently delivered five new track construction and maintenance machines to Bulgarian rail contractor ZHP Stroy for use on renewal and expansion projects on trans-European networks running through Bulgaria. The five machines were ordered from Plasser & Theurer in fall 2013.

L.B. Foster Co.'s rail technologies plant in Vancouver, British Columbia, has been selected by IndustryWeek magazine for a 2014 Best Plants Award. The industry publication recognized L.B. Foster's friction management products plant for excellence in manufacturing. L.B. Foster's Pueblo, Colo., rail products facility won the 2011 award and the company has been chosen as a finalist in each of the past four years.

ZTR Control Systems has installed more than 400 units of its flagship NEXSYS^™ III-i microprocessor-based locomotive control system since its official release in 2012. The upgraded system is designed to extend the life of a locomotive by improving reliability, adhesion and maintainability, according to a company press release.