Rail supplier news from GE, Hollysys, Bombardier and Critical Solutions (March 17)

South Africa's state-owned freight transport and logistics company Transnet announced that GE Transportation obtained a contract to produce 233 locomotives for the South African freight-rail network. The purchase is in addition to the 143 locomotives that Transnet has ordered from GE since 2010. The core parts of the locomotives, including the engines, will be produced in the United States and the machines will be assembled at a facility in South Africa.

Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. obtained two contracts from China Railway Corp. to provide Automatic Train Protection (ATP) equipment and system for two batches of high-speed trains, with one contract worth $29.35 million and the other, $82.74 million. The ATP "Recall" onboard signaling equipment is designed to work with the ground-based signaling equipment/train control center as the critical control elements in the high-speed rail signaling systems to ensure the safety and reliability of the rail operation, company officials said in a press release.

Bombardier Transportation South Africa Ltd has obtained a contract from Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) for the delivery of 240 electric locomotives. Bombardier's 240 TRAXX Africa locomotives are set to be part of a complete fleet renewal program involving four suppliers. The contract is expected to be effective by the end of March.

Critical Solutions International (CSI) obtained a $8.3 million contract from the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) for CSI's Intelligent Video Surveillance Solution to provide advanced video security at selected rail stations. A/C Power and Skyline Technology Solutions of Baltimore will upgrade a number of locations by replacing old analog cameras with digital technology.