Rail supplier news from GE, Dewberry, Road & Rail, Wabtec and Kontron (July 20)

GE Transportation received an order for five diesel-electric locomotives for Ferrocarril de Antofagasta, a private transport operator in Chile. The order, which includes a warranty agreement for parts and services, marks GE's first locomotive order in Chile, company officials said in a press release. Equipped with 12-cylinder engines to operate at high altitude, the new C23EMP single-cab AC/DC locomotives are designed for light-axle load operations. The units will be manufactured at GE's plant in Contagem, Brazil, and delivered in 2019.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) Rail Division has selected Dewberry to serve as a general rail-planning services consultant. The firm will provide demand modeling, rail function and preliminary design services, as well as studies of the economic and fiscal impact of rail-related activities. Other projects could include negotiation assistance in securing rail lines or corridors, train performance and rail-line capacity analyses and viability analyses, Dewberry officials said in a press release.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has presented its Automotive Quality Excellence Award to Road & Rail Services Inc. The company earned AAR's highest quality review score for origin facilities, Road & Rail officials said in a press release. The company's team in Talladega, Alabama, also received the award in 2017. The award represents a "successful partnership" between Road & Rail and its customer Total Distribution Services Inc., company officials said.

Wabtec Corp. subsidiary Vapor Stone Rail Systems plans to expand operations and create 52 new jobs in Plattsburgh, New York. The subway door builder and distributor  will lease 60,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space next to the Plattsburgh International Airport. Vapor Stone Rail Systems will invest nearly $2.5 million in machinery, relocation expenses and employee training for the new facility, according to a press release issued by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

Alstom has qualified and certified Kontron's COTS 3U VPX-based embedded computer for rail safety applications. The computer consists of extractable line replacement units to reduce maintenance time and repair, Kontron officials said in a press release. The product meets ISO/TS 22163 certifications to provide Alstom with a high level of design, production, testability and traceability, according to the release.