Rail supplier news from Pandrol, Cubic, FST, NRC and MTU (Nov. 17)

The Delachaux Group has combined its rail divisions under the Pandrol brand. The companies that will now operate under the Pandrol name include Railtech, Vortok, Pandrol CDM Track, Rosenqvist, Matweld and RSS. The rebranding effort is aimed at creating "synergy from the combined strengths of the market-leading businesses within the rail division, and to make the products and services more streamlined for customers," Delachaux officials said in a press release. The Pandrol organization will focus on four key product lines: rail infrastructure, fastening systems, aluminothermic welding, equipment and control, and electrification. The combined company has been operating in the rail sector for more than a century.

Cubic Transportation Systems has signed a $185 million contract with Transport for London for a three-year extension of services for the agency's Oyster and contactless ticketing system. Cubic will continue to provide operational and maintenance services to the ticketing system and invest in "further innovations" to benefit riders, company officials said in a press release. Meanwhile, Cubic also finalized a $553.8 million contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for the design and implementation of New York City's new fare payment system. The MTA contract was awarded in October, and Cubic President Matt Cole signed the agreement Nov. 1. Cubic was chosen to replace the agency's MetroCard with a next-generation fare payment system similar to the one used by Transport for London.

FST Biometrics has deployed its In Motion Identification solution for access control at CN's Montreal headquarters. The contactless system is installed at all perimeter access points at the railroad's headquarters, as well as at the entrance of the corporate daycare center. Users register with the technology to enter and exit the facility without waiting, swiping a card, punching a code or presenting any documentation, FST officials said in a press release.

The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) has added Russ Gehl to its board. He has worked in the rail industry for 15 years in the mechanical, signal and engineering divisions of several suppliers, including Hulcher Services, Stanley Black and Decker, and Railway Equipment Co. Gehl currently serves as vice president of sales and marketing for maintenance of way at Holland LP. He's also an active member of the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association and GoRail.

MTU has provided its Series 4000 engines for 20 Dalian locomotives owned by Argentina's Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado. The commuter-rail operator chose MTU to provide the engines to ensure efficient travel for passengers on all lines that branch out from Buenos Aires' urban core, MTU officials said in a press release. Since the engines entered operation in August 2014, they have performed with "minimal to no downtime," company officials added. The in-country engine commissioning and dynamic testing was completed in March 2014. The MTU Series 4000 engines were commissioned by MTU Detroit Diesel Argentina, an MTU America distributor.