Rail supplier news from Brookville, Stantec, FOSA and Bombardier (Feb. 16)

Brookville Equipment Corp. this week delivered the first of seven Liberty streetcars to Oklahoma City. The off-wire capable units were delivered as part of a $33.7 million contract, which covers the design, engineering and manufacturing of the vehicles, along with spare parts, training, and service and warranty support. The city's streetcar system is slated to begin revenue service later this year. The Liberty streetcars will operate in downtown Oklahoma City on two routes: a 2-mile east-west loop and a 4.9-mile north-south loop. The city is the third American city to receive Brookville's modern streetcar since 2015. The company also has delivered streetcars to Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Detroit's QLINE system.

Stantec was selected as lead engineer on a $1.9 billion design-build expansion project for MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in Nassau County, New York. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board in December approved a contract with the 3rd Track Constructors consortium, which includes Dragados USA Inc., John P. Picone Inc., CCA Civil Inc., and Halmar International LLC. As the consortium's lead engineer, Stantec will lead all rail, building and infrastructure improvements for the project, which involves adding a third track along a 9.8-mile stretch of LIRR's track between Floral Park and Hicksville. The project is among Stantec's largest transportation programs, according to a company press release.

The Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA) yesterday urged a U.S. House subcommittee to provide more funding to the Federal Railroad Administration to test advanced rail safety technologies. In a letter to the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials subcommittee, FOSA expressed support for the FRA's public-private partnership with the Transportation Technology Center Inc. The association also recommended that TTCI's future development and testing address optimizing track-side security, increasing worker safety and leveraging existing fiber networks near railways, among other issues. A fiber optic sensing system features an optical fiber cable, detection system and software. Similar systems are being used around the world to help reduce delays, trim costs and improve safety, FOSA Director Mark Uncapher said in a press release.

Bombardier's rail equipment division's 2017 revenue rose 13 percent to $8.53 billion compared with 2016 revenue. Bombardier Transportation's backlog reached $34.4 billion as of Dec. 31, 2017, fueled by a 20 percent increase in order intake across product segments in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Bombardier Transportation reported $417 million in earnings before interest and tax, a 5 percent increase over 2016's earnings, according to a company press release. Bombardier's companywide revenue fell 1 percent to $1.6 billion. The company also reported a net loss of $553 million, which marked a 44 percent increase over 2016's loss.