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Bombardier Transportation obtained a $107 million contract from construction contractor Al Jaber L.E.G.T. Engineering and Contracting (ALEC) to design and build an INNOVIA APM 300 automated people-mover system for Dubai International Airport. Under the contract, Bombardier will supply 18 INNOVIA APM 300 cars with Bombardier CITYFLO 650 communications-based train control technology for driverless operation. The company also will provide project management, systems engineering and integration, testing and commissioning services.

Steel Dynamics Inc. announced plans to install a heat-treating system at its Structural and Rail Division in Columbia City, Ind. The system will be capable of producing up to 350,000 tons of standard strength and head-hardened plain, carbon steel rails for the North American rail industry. Site preparation has begun and construction is expected to begin in the first quarter. Production ramp-up is anticipated to continue through 2015, with the system reaching full production in early 2016, according to a company press release.

AXION International Holdings Inc. received its third purchase order for an additional 270 ECOTRAX™ switch ties from Bay Area Rapid Transit. AXION also has received purchase orders from two more public transit agencies that rank among the top 10 U.S. transit systems, according to a company press release. The agencies will conduct trials of ECOTRAX ties on their systems.

The Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) elected new officers for 2013. Effective Jan. 1, John Fox, vice president of marketing and sales at NARSTCO, will serve as REMSA president; Trent Marshall, VP of Progress Rail Leasing, will serve as vice president; Bruce Wise, director of railroad sales at Whitmore Manufacturing Co., will serve as secretary-treasurer; and Phil Homan, president of Loram Maintenance of Way Inc., will serve as immediate past president. In addition, Robin Laskowski, VP-Treasurer at Plasser American Corp., has been elected to serve on REMSA's board, effective Jan. 1.

Urban Engineers named Margarita Gagliardi vice president of transit planning to lead the firm's transit and passenger-rail professionals. Gagliardi has 35 years of experience overseeing and managing major transportation improvements, from concept design and alternatives analyses to final design and startup. Her background includes developing transit capital and operating improvement plans, coordinating transit projects with real estate and development projects, and implementing quality assurance programs. She also has been responsible for New Starts studies and program management for the Federal Transit Administration.

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) is sponsoring a design competition for students of architecture or building sciences as a way to introduce them to professional opportunities in the rail and transit industries. Sponsored by AREMA Committee 6-Buildings and Support Facilities, the design competition features the conceptual development of a commuter-rail maintenance workshop. The AREMA Educational Foundation will award a $2,000 scholarship to the first-place winner and a $1,000 scholarship to the second-place finisher.

John Houdek has been named regional vice president of DNJ Intermodal Services in Channahon, Ill. Most recently, he was general manager of Pacer Cartage Inc. Houdek has more than 33 years of transportation experience. "John comes to DNJ with a very strong intermodal background, which he will leverage to oversee the growth and expansion of our Great Lakes region," DNJ President Joe Tovo said in a prepared statement.