Rail supplier news from GFT and McLaren Applied (April 29)

Gannett Fleming TranSystems yesterday announced it is rebranding to GFT to reflect the integration of Gannett Fleming, TranSystems and five recently acquired businesses into a unified national platform that delivers infrastructure consulting services across North America. In addition to the rebrand, GFT announced the appointment of Mike Orth as CEO. Orth brings nearly 36 years of leadership experience, most recently serving as president of governments and communities at Black & Veatch, where he oversaw federal, state and local clients. Orth was a member of the company’s board and has experience with the company’s water, power, environmental and mission-critical solutions, according to a GFT press release.

McLaren Applied and Brightline Florida have formed a partnership to bring advanced motorsport-inspired technology to passenger rail for the first time. Brightline is the first train operator worldwide to deploy this advanced hybrid technology at-scale, enabling more reliable Wi-Fi connection, even at high speeds or in rural areas, Brightline officials said in a press release. The advancement is made possible by McLaren Applied’s Fleet Connect software using its 5G Edge Active Antenna and Low Earth Orbit satellite communications. Two decades ago, McLaren Applied developed the software and hardware to overcome the challenge of real-time monitoring of sensors on Formula One race cars at speeds over 200 mph. The result was a suite of high-performance connectivity solutions, resulting in near 100% coverage at the most challenging international racetracks. Now, McLaren Applied has developed a similar solution for Brightline. The railroad anticipates the McLaren Applied system will be operational on all trains by July.