Rail supplier news from Sperry, Keolis, Greenbrier, Cubic, Arrows Up, Nortrak and WAGO (Nov. 3)

MTA Metro-North railroad earlier this week used a Sperry Rail car to perform ultrasonic rail testing on the Upper Harlem Line. The unit performed the testing on a section of track between stations in Southeast and Wassaic, New York. The railroad used the equipment to detect defects and metal fatigue inside the steel rails. The Sperry Rail car is designed to identify issues before they become major problems, Metro-North officials said in a press release.

Keolis and the Institute for Data Valorisation have formed a strategic partnership aimed at supporting the development of "innovative urban mobility solutions" through the use of Big Data. As part of the agreement, both parties will collaborate on joint research and development projects, with an initial focus on Quebec. The projects eventually will expand to other areas where Keolis is present, company officials said in a press release. As a result of the partnership, Keolis will gain a better understanding of the way passengers move and how to best plan public transit networks, company officials said.

Since August 2016, Greenbrier Management Services LLC has expanded its rail-car fleet by about 85,000 units. With a total of 355,000 rail cars in its management portfolio, Greenbrier now provides management services for more than 20 percent of the entire North American rail-car fleet, company officials said in a press release. Meanwhile, Greenbrier also has launched a new web-based learning management tool to provide training for hazardous materials transportation. The online training systems are part of a comprehensive regulatory compliance regime for Greenbrier-managed hazmat shippers, company officials said.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has awarded a $6.5 million contract to Cubic Transportation Systems to move its Breeze Card's back-office systems to the cloud. The migration will be carried out through a collaboration with Microsoft and the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. Under the agreement, Cubic also will upgrade the Breeze Card system to the latest version of its NextFare^® central system software. The upgrade is aimed at improving user experience and operational efficiency by optimizing the database performance and data warehouse capability, Cubic officials said in a press release.

OmniTRAX Inc. affiliate Arrows Up LLC in October received two patents for its bulk material shipping containers. To date, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted six utility patents for Arrows Up's containers. The company also has filed a series of patent applications for additional containers to meet current and future needs of customers, OmniTRAX officials said in a press release. Capable of holding up to 25 tons of frac sand or other material, the Arrows Up "Jumbo Bin" is designed to replace significant storage and transportation infrastructure in the oil, gas and industrial supply chains.

voestalpine Nortrak Inc. and NICE Rail Products have launched Evertrak™ composite crossties. The product line includes standard ties, turnout ties and specialty ties for bridges, tunnels and grade crossings. Evertrak is suitable for interspersing with wood ties, especially in areas where termite infestation, saltwater intrusion or a soft subgrade is evident, Nortrak and NICE Rail Products officials said in a press release. Evertrak ties will be produced in St. Louis beginning in 2018.

WAGO North America has appointed Shaun Nagi regional sales manager for British Columbia. He previously worked in industrial sales for Wesco Distribution and completed a three-year stint as an automation tech for Associated Labels. He also has worked in electrical-hydraulic sales for PSI Fluid Power.