Rail supplier news from Harsco, CRU, ALLU, Nomad and Transdev (Sept. 29)

Harsco Rail has received two international orders totaling nearly $25 million, the company announced earlier this week. One order calls for Harsco to provide rail grinding equipment for a 281-mile high-speed rail line between Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia. The Harsco machines will be used to maintain railhead contours for extended rail life and smoother operation, company officials said in a press release. For the other order, Harsco will provide two on-track vehicles to assess rail geometry and ballast profile for South Africa's Transnet freight-rail network. The company is supplying the vehicles to Molamu Majories and Thari Joint Venture, a contractor for Transnet. Deliveries for both orders are expected by year's end.

CRU Railcar Services (CRS) has agreed to provide tank-car cleaning and switching services at Rescar Cos.' new "Fast Track" light repair location in Elmendorf, Texas. With access to Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway Co., the new site is ideally situated for tank-car operators and lessors, said CRS spokesman Pedro Berruecos in a press release. Rescar will provide necessary maintenance, inspection or repair, while CRS will handle cleaning. Rescar has five Fast Track locations in the United States.

ALLU Inc. has opened a facility in East Brunswick, New Jersey, that will provide warehouse capacity for aftermarket parts. The facility enables ALLU's North American subsidiary to offer remanufacture and re-certification of pre-owned buckets, company officials said in a press release. ALLU offers screening, crushing and soil stabilizing equipment and attachments for a variety of industries.

Nomad Digital has signed a new contract to provide Wi-Fi services to the United Kingdom's CrossCountry passenger-rail network. Installation of Nomad's systems on-board systems will begin this winter. The agreement covers 58 Voyager trains, five high-speed trains and 29 Turbostar units. The contract runs up to 2020, Nomad officials said in a press release.

Transdev has promoted David Braun to vice president of business development for rail in North America. In the role, he'll be responsible for expanding the company's North American streetcar, light rail and other rail operations into new markets. Braun previously helped Transdev secure streetcar contracts in Cincinnati, Detroit and Milwaukee. Before joining Transdev in 2013, Braun served as vice president of paratransit services for American Logistics, a national passenger transportation management company.