Rail supplier news from Harsco, Road and Rail, Strato, Caltrax and STV (Oct. 14)

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy this week unveiled the Harsco Rail track construction machine being used to double-track portions of the Hartford Line commuter-rail route, which will run from New Haven, Conn., to Springfield, Mass. The 250-ton machine is laying nearly 9 miles of track between North Haven and Meriden, Conn. The project is expected to take three weeks to complete. Building the second track is expected to enable more frequent train service and more efficient movements when the Hartford Line begins operations in January 2018, according to a release from Malloy's office.

Fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. has honored Road and Rail Services Inc. with the 2015 Platinum Safety Award for its operations in the Bone Valley in Florida. The award was given to companies that have met established criteria for safety performance and earned Mosaic's gold standard award for five or more years. Road and Rail performs in-field rail-car repair across the United States.

Strato Inc. has hired Alan Lullman as vice president of sales. He most recently served in a consultative sales role with Columbus Castings and Vertex Railcar Corp. Lullman previously was senior vice president at American Railcar Industries (ARI), where he worked for more than 36 years. He also worked as VP of sales, marketing and services management at ARI.

Don Davage has joined Caltrax Inc. as a sales representative. He has more than 35 years of experience in several facets of the rail-car industry, company officials said in a press release. Caltrax provides rail-car repair services to car owners in Canada and the United States.

Paul McIlree has joined STV as vice president in the firm's transportation and infrastructure division. A designer and project manager with almost two decades of experience, he'll oversee STV's business plan for design-build and public-private partnership initiatives. Based in Florida, he'll report to Brian Flaherty, senior vice president and head of the transportation and infrastructure division's design-build practice.