Rail supplier news from Vossloh Tie, Transdev, Keolis and TranSystems (Dec. 27)

Vossloh Tie Technologies named Eliseo Bandala chief executive officer to succeed Peter Urquhart, who will retire Dec. 31 after a 40-year career. Bandala is a 23-year employee of Vossloh and its subsidiary Rocla Concrete Tie Inc. Previously, he was CEO of Cleveland Track Material and regional president of Vossloh North America. As CEO, Bandala will be responsible for all activities within Vossloh Tie Technologies, including Rocla and Austrak in Australia. He also will serve as president and managing director of Vossloh Fastening Systems North America. In other Vossloh news, Brett Urquhart was appointed executive vice president of sales and marketing, Vossloh officials said in a press release. Progressive Railroading named Urquhart a Rising Star in 2015. 

Transdev North America named Laura Hendricks president of Transdev Services to succeed Mike Setzer, who is moving into part-time retirement. Hendricks will be a member of Transdev’s North American Executive Committee and will report to CEO Yann Leriche. Previously, she held executive roles at XPO Logistics, Valspar and Merry Maids, and was chief executive officer and board member of Coach America. Setzer will serve as client and operational adviser to Leriche and Hendricks, Transdev officials said in a press release.

Keolis Group will operate and maintain the future Line 1 of the Abidjan Metro in Cote d’Ivoire, the company announced in a press release. Keolis will ensure operational review of the system during the project's construction phase. The news comes after Cote d’Ivoire authorities approved a technical and financial offer submitted by the Societe des Transports Abidjanais sur Rail, an Abidjan rail transport company.

TranSystems Corp. hired Greg Munden as southeast transit market sector leader and vice president. Munden has more than 15 years of experience in management, civil and rail engineering, and construction. He has provided civil and rail engineering design and program management services to Class I, industrial, high-speed, commuter, heavy transit and streetcar clients, TranSystems officials said in a press release. Munden serves on committees at the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association and American Public Transportation Association.