Rail supplier news from R. J. Corman, Trimble, Road and Rail, Progress Rail and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff (Dec. 21)

Ray Sipes has been named interim president of R. J. Corman Signaling LLC. He took over the role from Mike Wilson, who resigned earlier this month. Sipes will oversee the signaling company's daily operations until a permanent replacement is found. He currently serves as vice president of Roadway Worker Training Signal Services, an R. J. Corman company.

Dutch state-owned rail company NS Groep N.V. will deploy the Trimble® R2M real-time remote diagnostics monitoring system, which automates manual task to allow railway operators to streamline maintenance costs and increase efficiencies across their fleet. Trimble R2M processes diagnostic data from rail vehicles in real time and provides a comprehensive view of the overall fleet's status. The system also identifies potential faults that may arise while analyzing and detecting anomalies in on-vehicle component behavior. NS Groep will be able to aggregate data from a range of on-train and wayside sources and provide real-time information to monitor fleet status.

CSX subsidiary Total Distribution Services Inc. (TDSI) presented the September 2016 Terminal Excellence Award to Road and Rail Services Inc. The honor is given to the automotive processing supplier who achieves a high level of service performance, the least amount of overall damages, a high level of safety with minimal injuries and superior audit performance. The award was based on Road and Rail's performance at its Talladega, Ala., automotive facility, which was evaluated and selected by TDSI's regional operations managers.

The Tunisian Railway Co. has selected Progress Rail to supply 20 EMD GT42AC locomotives, which will primarily serve in hauling phosphates. The units will be designed for North Africa's hot, dry climate and rough terrain, including sandy conditions. The agreement is part of Tunisia's initiative to rejuvenate its railway fleet. The first 10 locomotives will be delivered in September 2018, with the remaining units delivered in November of the same year. The units will be built at Progress Rail's facility in Muncie, Ind.

Michael Venter was named assistant vice president and senior engineering manager in the New York City office of WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff. He'll provide project management and technical expertise related to rail systems for subways, commuter rail, light rail and people movers. Venter has more than 25 years of experience in transit systems, including transit planning, procurement, program management, design, installation, implementation and testing/commissioning.