Rail supplier news from GE, Hitachi Rail, Alstom, CH2M and WSP (March 17)

GE Transportation's Digital Solutions has selected Chicago as its home office. GE chose the city for "deep investments" to advance its digital strategy and will create 160 new jobs in the Chicago area focused solely on digital advancements in transportation and health care. The new jobs will include software engineers, software developers, data scientists, product analysts and project managers at both GE Transportation and GE Healthcare. Currently, the company employs more than 2,000 employees in the area and 3,000 across llinois. "Chicago's global business community, research universities and strong depth in the transportation sector make it an ideal location for continuing to cultivate a diverse and dynamic digital workforce," said GE Transportation President and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Miller.

Hitachi Rail USA, the American subsidiary of Hitachi Rail Italy, has announced the completion of a manufacturing plant in Medley, Fla., for Miami-Dade County's new Metrorail vehicles. The 140,000-square-foot plant will manufacture 136 cars and 272 motor truck structural subassemblies needed to replace the county's Metrorail fleet. Rail-vehicle assembly will begin this month, with the first completed vehicles slated to start the qualification-testing phase by year's end. The first new Metrorail vehicle will be put into service in late 2017. Production of the new units will last until the first half of 2019.

Rocky Mountaineer has announced a strategic partnership with Alstom to revitalize the tourist railroad's fleet of domed SilverLeaf rail cars. The project requires the units to be stripped to their frame and trucks and then entirely re-engineered. The engineering and design process was completed in 2015 and resulted in a complete interior renovation of the cars' technology, comfort and aesthetic. Custom built by Alstom, the cars feature oversized windows, luxury seating and state-of-the-art mechanical systems, Rocky Mountaineer officials said in a press release.

Metrolinx has selected CH2M to provide project management services for the agency's "Next Wave Rapid Transit Projects." Building on the "First Wave" of rapid transit projects — including the Eglinton Light-Rail Transit (LRT) and Finch West LRT projects — Metrolinx plans to extend transit service to neighboring municipalities and regional areas outside Toronto. This includes the Hurontario LRT and Hamilton LRT projects. CH2M served as the owner's engineer and program manager for the projects in the First Wave, which was the largest public transit investment in Canadian history, officials from the company said in a press release.

WSP Global Inc. Chief Financial Officer Alexandre L'Heureux has been tapped to succeed Pierre Shoiry as president and chief executive officer. Shoiry also will transition to the role of vice chairman of the company's board. In the new role, he'll provide ongoing support to the board and focus on acquisition activities and other strategic opportunities. The personnel changes are part of WSP's senior management succession plan.