Rail supplier news from Tri-Cities, ENSCO, CDL, Burns, Thales and Road & Rail (Feb. 14)

Tri-Cities Intermodal LLC has moved its first loads to the Northwest Seaport Alliance's Port of Tacoma, Washington. The first loads involved 270 tons of hay grown locally for export by Ag West International. The containers were provided by Evergreen Marine Corp. The new service replaces trucking roundtrips across the state with rail. "We are excited about Tri-Cities Intermodal achieving its first success," said Kari Kirchhoefer, senior vice president–premium, marketing and sales for Union Pacific Railroad, in a press release. "This is a region that continues to grow in logistical importance, and we look forward to supporting its growth with safe, reliable service that will remove thousands of trucks from the highway." The Tri-Cities Intermodal Center will be operated by Remprex.

ENSCO Inc. announced the launch of the Center for Critical Infrastructure Protection (CCIP), an initiative designed to provide comprehensive cyber and physical security solutions to organizations. In response to urgent warnings issued by top U.S. officials regarding escalating threats posed by foreign cyber activity, ENSCO has introduced CCIP as a solution to safeguarding critical infrastructure, ENSCO officials said in a press release. CCIP leverages ENSCO’s background in the Department of Defense to deliver comprehensive security solutions. The CCIP is located at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado.

CDL Group of Companies has hired Jon Broadway as general manager of railroad construction. The division specializes in delivering grade-crossing signal and detection systems. Broadway began his railroad career as a signalman for CSX, departing the company as manager of signals after more than a a decade of service. He also previously held roles at Siemens Mobility as head of business development and general management of core infrastructure for the freight-signaling division.

Burns Engineering announced the promotions for Senior Vice President Tony Koltuv, VP Clay Payne and VP Ryan Breier. Under the new structure, Koltuv will continue leading the firm’s railroad and transit practice; Breier now oversees signals, communications and train-control services; and Payne directs right-of-way and facilities services. In recent years, Burns has broadened the firm’s engineering design and construction management practice.

Thales has been awarded a frame contract to equip the Swiss railway company BLS with electronic interlockings with optical signaling for the next 10 years.Thales will provide a sophisticated and reliable system that ensures high efficiency by using existing processes and operational procedures. BLS is one of Switzerland’s largest transport companies.

Road & Rail Services LLC, a provider of third-party logistics solutions in North America, recently launched a redesigned and expanded website that showcases the company’s expanding array of service offerings, maximizes the user experience across devices and facilitates interaction with potential team members. To redesign the website, the company used Louisville, Kentucky-based Idealogy Marketing + Design.