Rail supplier news from DOE, OneRail, TRAINFO, RATP and Keolis (June 6)

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has certified the Atlas rail-car system to operate on all major freight railroads in the United States. Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the high-tech rail car will be used to transport the nation’s commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The certification is the highest safety standard set by the AAR for transporting high-level radioactive material, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy. The 12-axle rail car was built to safely and securely transport the nation’s heaviest shipments of commercial spent nuclear fuel weighing up to 480,000 pounds. The rail-car project took 10 years to complete and cost approximately $33 million.

OneRail, an Orlando, Florida-based last mile delivery fulfillment solution, announced the acquisition of Vancouver, British Columbia-based Orderbot, an enterprise inventory and distributed order management (DOM) solution. Oderbot serves brands such as Staples Canada, Petsense and Red Hat. This acquisition combines Orderbot’s inventory and order management capabilities with OneRail’s OmniPoint® cloud-based last mile operating system and delivery network, according to a OneRail press release. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Secure Passage, a converged security company, and TRAINFO, an artificial intelligence-powered rail insights platform, announced a partnership aimed at enhancing rail crossing observability and safety. With their collaboration, the companies seek to mitigate delays in emergency response times caused by blocked rail crossings. TRAINFO leverages advanced sensors and a proprietary, patented process to predict train movements and determine when rail crossings will be blocked. The technology provides real-time information to drivers, traffic managers and emergency dispatchers, effectively reducing traffic congestion, collision risks, and delays for first responders.

RATP Dev USA announced Cyril Aubin, who has been the CEO of RATP Dev USA since August 2022, has been promoted to the role of business unit director to oversee operations in the United States and United Kingdom. Matt Booterbaugh has been promoted to succeed Aubin as CEO of RATP Dev USA, effective June 1. Booterbaugh joined RATP Dev USA in 2017 as senior vice president of operations and innovation; was promoted to chief development officer in April 2020; and has served as deputy CEO since August 2022.

Keolis Commuter Services, operating partner for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter-rail service, has awarded a total of $50,000 in scholarships to 25 Boston-area students as part of the 2024 Keolis Scholars program. The students were selected from five cities in the commuter-rail service area: Brockton, Boston, Lawrence, Lynn and Worcester. The students can use the $2,000 scholarship to help pay for post-secondary education or job training.