Rail supplier news from Thales, Siemens Rail Automation, American Railcar Leasing, Parkeon, AXION and Hollysys (July 1)

A temporary joint venture between Thales and Siemens Rail Automation has been awarded a $208.7 million (in euros) contract by Adif Alta Velocidad for the installation signaling, telecommunications and security technologies on a 126-kilometer high-speed rail line linking Antequera and Granada in the south of Spain. The two companies also will maintain the installations for a 20-year period. Thales, which will be responsible for overall project management, will install its electronic interlocking solution with associated equipment. The group also will modify existing Thales technology on the Córdoba-Málaga high-speed line. Siemens Rail Automation will install its ERTMS level 2 with ASFA train protection system, as well as its solution for track circuits and light-emitting diode signals. Siemens also will make the modifications to the ERTMS technology installed on the Córdoba-Málaga line.
 
John O’Bryan has been named chief executive officer of American Railcar Leasing L.L.C. He has spent the past five years as president of Mitsui Rail Capital L.L.C., which offers rail-car leasing and fleet management services.

Parkeon, which provides urban mobility solutions for the transit and parking industries, has been awarded a contract to provide a new off-board fare collection system for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO). The firm will implement the system at a cost "not to exceed $739,200," according to a press release. The fare collection system will serve METRO's expanding light-rail system and feature 44 Strada Transit Pay Stations, which connect to Parkeon's hosted back-office system to report ticketing activity, as well as collection and maintenance alerts.

AXION International Holdings Inc. has received its fifth order in Europe for ECOTRAX®  composite ties. "Europe represents a pipeline of significant opportunities for AXION and this order demonstrates our continued penetration into the market," said AXION President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Silverman in a prepared statement.

Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. has obtained two contracts to provide a ground-based high-speed rail signaling system for the Guiyang-Guangzhou line's Guizhou section, as well as the Baiyun-Longli north line in China. The contracts are valued at $19 million. The system will accommodate running speeds of 250 kph. Hollysys will provide train control centers, temporary speed restriction servers, line-side electronic units and other auxiliary equipment.