Rail supplier news from Bombardier, Road & Rail, TRAC, Greenbrier and Cambridge Systematics (April 20)

Bombardier Transportation in Australia has received the EN 15085 certification for rail vehicle and component welding. The firm is the first rail company in Australia to receive the certification, Bombardier officials said in a press release. Bombardier's welding training center in Dandenong, Victoria, is now an accredited facility for securing and growing local welding capabilities. The site also can deliver industry-recognized certifications to staff, external suppliers and industry partners in Australia.

Road & Rail Services Inc. has received the 2017 Toyota Logistics Services Kaizen Award for Logistics Excellence. The award recognizes "successful collaboration" between Toyota Logistics Services and Road & Rail, which led to improved rail-car and vehicle velocity performance at a lowered cost, Road & Rail officials said in a press release.

TRAC Intermodal has jointed the Blockchain in Transportation Alliance (BiTA), an organization that develops blockchain standards and education for the transportation industry. Blockchain is a shared, distributed ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network. The company joined BiTA to better understand the role that blockchain can play in improving transparency and fostering greater efficiencies among stakeholders in chassis provisioning, said TRAC Intermodal President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Lovetro in a press release. Earlier this year, BNSF Railway Co. became the first Class I to join BiTA. To learn more about blockchain applications in the rail industry, read this recent feature on ProgressiveRailroading.com.

The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. has announced executive promotions at its global manufacturing organization (GMO) and commercial units. Owen Whitehall was promoted to executive vice president, GMO North American operations and sourcing, while Martin Graham took on the expanded role of executive VP, GMO international operations and global engineering. In addition, Alejandro Arias was promoted to VP of Mexican operations, and Zane Peterson was promoted to VP of global sourcing. Finally, Brian Comstock was named executive VP, sales and marketing. Meanwhile, Oziel Salinas joined the company as general manager of Greenbrier's Gunderson-GIMSA joint venture.

Cambridge Systematics hired Herbert Higginbotham as head of its transit and shared mobility practice. In the role, he'll help clients prepare for changes in the public transit industry, company officials said in a press release. Higginbotham has nearly two decades of experience leading public transportation projects, most recently at Accenture. His focus has been on service and operations planning, capital projects, asset management, fare management, technology innovation and organizational strategy.