Rail supplier news from Interloc, Bourque, Cedar AI, Bombardier, RECo, Westermo and ENSCO (Aug. 7)

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) partnered with Interloc Solutions to launch a cloud-based asset management program for its signals department. DART’s workforce will use the IBM Maximo Asset Management software and the Interloc Mobile Informer work management and conditions assessment applications to inspect and manage the assets of the system’s vital relays that are used to route trains. This is the first of three launches for DART. The entire organization will utilize the system by June 2021, DART officials said in a press release.

Bourque Logistics and Cedar AI announced a joint collaboration to provide optimized switching for rail shippers and storage yards. Bourque integrated rail car inventory from its YardMaster system with Cedar’s OptiSwitch switching and train assembly algorithms to create a cutting list for blocked train assembly and other rail yard movements. The YardMaster system then uses the list to generate instructions transmitted to crew tablets which can be printed in the field.

A consortium of Bombardier Transportation, Orascom Construction PLC and Arab Contractors has signed a $4.5 billion agreement with the National Authority for Tunnels in Cairo to design and build two new monorail lines in Egypt. The consortium will operate and maintain both lines for 30 years. Orascom Construction will design and build all stations, guideway structures and new depot buildings, while Bombardier will design, supply and install the electrical and mechanical equipment for the two lines including 70 four-car Innovia Monorail 300 trains and signaling and automatic train control technology, according to a Bombardier press release. Meanwhile, Bombardier appointed Andy DeLeone as president of its Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) regions. DeLeone will be responsible for customer relationship management, sales and services and project management in the regions. DeLeone joins Bombardier from General Electric, where he was chief executive officer and managing director of GE Power India Limited.

Railway Equipment Co. (RECo) hired Russ Gehl as chief operating officer. Most recently, Gehl served as vice president of maintenance of way sales at Holland Co., where he drove consistent growth in the Class I and international markets, RECo officials said in a press release. Gehl also previously worked in a sales position at RECo.

Westermo announced it has acquired Neratec Solutions AG, a Switzerland-based wireless computer network technology company specialized in the train and trackside sector. Westermo and Neratec have worked together for more than five years and Westermo’s current wireless local area network (WLAN) portfolio is based on its technology, Westermo officials said in a press release. Neratec will operate as a subsidiary of the Westermo group, as well as its and WLAN technology center.

ENSCO Inc. has appointed Thomas DeFrank chief financial officer to succeed Mike Bogdanovic, who will transition into a part-time role as the director of retirement plan and special projects. DeFrank will oversee all aspects of ENSCO’s corporate finance and accounting functions, treasury management and corporate facilities, company officials said in a press release. He has more than 25 years of experience and most recently served as CFO and vice president of finance for L3 Technologies. Prior to that, he held positions at Delphinus Engineering Inc., NRG Energy Inc., Science Applications International Corp. and Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services.