Rail supplier news from Bombardier, OnTrackNorthAmerica, Alstom and HNTB (Feb. 16)

Bombardier has been selected to design and supply vehicles for the Valley Line light-rail line in Edmonton, Alberta. The company also will provide signaling, communications, power supply and distribution, the overhead catenary system, and related depot equipment for the system. The work is part of a contract awarded to the TransEd Partners consortium comprising Bombardier, Bechtel, EllisDon and Fengate. Bombardier's portion is valued at $280 million. The Valley Line project is public-private partnership that includes a five-year design-build stage and a 30-year operation and maintenance term.

As part of a strategic partnership, OnTrackNorthAmerica will use Impact Infrastructure Inc.'s software to provide financial, environmental and social cost-benefit analysis for transportation planning and investments. The partnership represents a "an important development for a sustainable future" for North America, said OTNA Founder and Chief Executive Officer Michael Sussman in a press release.

Alstom will supply 26 Citadis tram kits for Entreprise Metro d'Alger's 32-mile rail line in Setif, Algeria. The line is scheduled to enter commercial service in first-quarter 2018. The $95 million order is part of a frame contract signed in 2012 for the supply of Citadis trams to serve Algerian cities.

HNTB Corp. hired Bob Baughman as senior program manager and vice president in the firm's transit practice. He'll support HNTB's transit initiatives in North Carolina. Baughman has more than 35 years of experience in planning, design and construction of transit, railway, highway and bridge projects. In the transit arena, he has led multidisciplinary teams developing documents, designs, plans and specifications for major projects, including Charlotte's LYNX Blue Line light-rail extension.