Rail supplier news from Railinc, Wabtec, HNTB and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff (Nov. 4)

Railinc Corp. has joined eVerifile's eRailSafe contractor screening program, which is aimed at providing an additional level of security for freight-rail industry systems and databases. The program was created as a part of a Class I security and safety initiative to process criminal background screening and provide badge credentialing for railroad contractors. The software helps safeguard businesses against theft, high turnover rates and damage to their reputations, eVerifile officials said in a press release.

Wabtec Corp. reported third-quarter net income of $82.4 million, or 92 cents a share, compared with $99.1 million, or $1.03 per share, in the same period last year. The company logged $676 million in net sales versus $810 million in Q3 2015. Wabtec reported higher transit group sales, which were more than offset by lower sales in the freight group, company officials said in a press release. Excluding  $3.2 million in expenses related to the pending acquisition of Faiveley Transport, the company posted $120 million in income from operations, or 17.8 percent of sales, versus $152 million in the same quarter last year.

HNTB Corp. has named Michael Steffen senior systems project manager specializing in positive train control (PTC). He serves clients nationwide. Steffen previously worked on the Regional Transportation District of Denver's Eagle P3 rail project, where he helped implement the first interoperable train control/PTC-based wireless crossings system in North America. Earlier in his career, he worked at General Electric as lead systems engineer of railroad crossing products, where he was lead inventor on multiple PTC-based wireless crossings, as well as the primary inventor for two rail crossing algorithms that received U.S. patents.

WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff named Louis Brown senior engineering manager in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, where he will serve as principal safety consultant supporting the transit and rail practice. He'll also serve as the deputy safety engineer for the Maryland Transit Administration's planned Purple Line. Brown previously served as chief safety officer for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.