Rail supplier news from Balfour Beatty, Irwin Car, Alstom, Herzog and Stella-Jones (Jan. 30)

Balfour Beatty has been awarded a $189,000 contract on behalf of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) to deliver track surfacing, lining and ballast restoration on its mainline track. Once completed, the 40,000-foot restoration project enhances SMART’s passenger-rail service to provide sustainable, accessible and efficient rail transportation for Sonoma and Marin counties.

Irwin Car and Equipment of Irwin, Pennsylvania, acquired S&K Steel Products Inc. effective Jan. 1. Financial terms were not disclosed. S&K now operates as part of Irwin's industrial technologies group, which designs and manufactures heavy-duty rail-based material-handling equipment. Based in Madison Heights, Michigan, S&K has been a stocking manufacturer of a wide range of rail accessories and hardware. Tami Ochoa will continue as S&K's general manager; David Fitzpatrick, senior vice president of Irwin Car, will support the sales and marketing efforts for S&K; Bill Springer, director of railroad products for Irwin, will handle short lines and captive service mill applications; and Frank Weisbecker of Irwin’s UKM Transit Group will handle sales to the transit market.

Alstom and the Romanian Railway Reform Authority (ARF) have signed a contract for the delivery of 16 Traxx 3 MS electric locomotives and 20 years of associated maintenance services. Valued at 150 million euros, the contract extends Alstom’s collaboration with ARF within the rolling-stock sector. The 20-year maintenance and repair period can be extended by a further 20 years with an additional agreement, according to an Alstom press release.

Herzog Technologies Inc. recently hosted U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) for a tour of the company's Fort Worth facility. HTI provides technology-based solutions to the railroad industry, from planning to operations, of basic engineering to complex turnkey system integration. Leading the meeting with Van Duyne were Jim Hanlon, president of HTI; Jim Hansen, chief commercial officer of Herzog Contracting Corp.; and Troy Elbert, senior vice president of quality assurance and rail-detection innovation of Herzog Service Inc. Assisting HTI in organizing the tour were the National Railroad and Construction Maintenance Association and the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association.

Stella-Jones Corp. last week hosted U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) for a look at the company's Wisconsin facility, which treats 1 million to 1.6 million railroad ties annually. The tour was led by Stella-Jones and joined by local officials and nonprofit GoRail. The congressman was able to view the plant’s production floor, including the cylinders where railway ties are treated. The group discussed how rail suppliers like Stella-Jones help the railroad industry innovate. They also discussed how federal policies impact railroads, their suppliers and communities.