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11/1/2023
Hitachi Rail has received clearance on Oct. 30 to proceed with its $1.75 billion acquisition of Thales' Ground Transportation Systems business. The publication of the European Commission’s (EC) approval means that the deal has received clearance from all 13 competition authorities that reviewed the acquisition. Prior to the EC’s clearance, the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority approved the deal on Oct. 4. As a condition of securing approval for the acquisition, Hitachi Rail will divest its mainline signaling business located in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Wabtec Corp. and its launch customer, Roy Hill — an iron-ore miner majority owned by Australian company Hancock Prospecting — marked the debut of the FLXdrive battery locomotive, the world's first 100% battery-powered, heavy-haul locomotive for mainline service. Roy Hill’s FLXdrive-battery electric locomotive will feature an energy capacity of 7 megawatt hours. Based on the route and company’s rail operations, the FLXdrive is anticipated to provide a double-digit percentage reduction in fuel costs and emissions per train. Once Wabtec completes the final battery installations and track testing, the locomotive will begin its 10,500-mile journey in 2024 for delivery to the Pilbara region of western Australia.
Absher Construction of Puyallup, Washington, has been awarded a design-build contract from Sound Transit for the $62.5 million Kent Station parking garage project. When completed, the garage and related facilities will serve Sounder S Line, Sound Transit Express and King County Metro passengers. Meanwhile, Sound Transit on Oct. 30 opened a new parking garage at the Redmond Technology Station. The new structure was built by Kiewit-Hoffman.