Rail supplier news from Stone Canyon, Jacobs, LAN, Alstom and HNTB (Dec. 28)

Stone Canyon Industries LLC has acquired Magnus LLC, a producer and global supplier of bronze locomotive traction support bearings. Stone Canyon, which acquired A. Stucki Co. in September 2015, is a global manufacturer and supplier of rail-car locomotive and industrial parts. Magnus will continue to operate out of its facility in Fremont, Nebraska, and Magnus President John Macklin will report directly to A. Stucki Chief Executive Officer Bill Kiefer, A. Stucki officials said in a press release. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has completed its acquisition of CH2M for $2.85 billion in cash and stock, according to a Jacobs press release. The combined firm will continue to make talent retention and hiring a priority. Additionally, the transaction is expected to make the combined company an "employer of choice" in the $300 billion-a-year transportation sector, Jacobs officials said. In August, Jacobs announced it had reached an agreement to acquire CH2M.

The Transportation Authority of Monterey County, California, has selected Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) to be part of the construction management team for the initial phase of the Salinas rail extension. The project's $69.7 million first phase includes improvements to Amtrak's Salinas Station, track upgrades in Gilroy to allow for run-through service, and updates to the Union Pacific Railroad-owned Coast Main Line between Gilroy and Salinas. The Salinas rail extension project calls for extending passenger-rail service 68 miles from Gilroy to Salinas, with connections to San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento. Construction is expected to begin next year, with service starting in 2020, LAN officials said in a press release.

Alstom has signed an agreement to acquire the Kazakh national railway company's (KTZ) 25 percent stake in the EKZ electric locomotive manufacturing joint venture. If the transaction receives regulatory approval, Alstom's total share in EKZ will grow to 75 percent, company officials said in a press release. Alstom and its Russian partner Transmashholding in June 2010 broke ground on the EKZ facility, which was established to build locomotives for the Kazakh network. Alstom and Transmashholding each held 25 percent in the joint company, while KTZ owned the remaining 50 percent.

Zeyad Alkaisi has joined HNTB Corp. as a transit-rail senior project manager and associate vice president. Based in New York City, Alkaisi is a member of HTNB's program management and construction management practice. He has more than three decades of experience with MTA New York City Transit, including a stint as vice president for program services. Alkaisi also has knowledge of maintenance, track construction and track safety, HNTB officials said in a press release.