Rail supplier news from Wi-Tronix, 360 Rail, TekTracking, Bison Transport, HNTB and Hub Group (May 3)

Wi-Tronix LLC announced recent orders for its Violet Edge software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform have pushed total orders to more than 2,000 since the platform was introduced in 2016. The Violet Edge connected event recorder, PTC event recorder and digital video recorder are based on an Internet of Things platform designed for the rail industry. The SaaS platform with hardware and software packages provide the specific services needed for any locomotive type or specific type of service, Wi-Tronix officials said in a press release. The Violet Edge breaks the traditional event recorder paradigm by combining data, video and audio from all sources on a locomotive into one synchronized solution, they said.

360 Rail Services has selected Ardenna's rail defect detection software-as-a-service for integration with its new drone-based rail yard inspection service offering. 360 Rail Services offers engineering, construction, operations and maintenance services to the rail industry, while Ardenna provides artificial intelligence-based defect detection software. Ardenna will process all of 360 Rail’s rail yard imagery captured by drones to more quickly identify anomalies and defects compared with traditional inspection methods, according to a Ardenna press release. Ardenna also will work with 360 Rail to refine and introduce drone-based data collection and automated defect detection to the rail sector.

TekTracking announced it recently installed and commissioned a new wayside infrastructure asset-condition monitoring site at a critical 10-switch interlocking on a major U.S. East Coast transit system. The installed monitoring equipment and analytics system is supplied by TekTracking strategic partner Mpec Technologies. The transit agency will have access to real-time asset condition data collected in the field with compact digital storage oscilloscopes. The TekTracking/Mpec solution provides rail operators with tools to remotely diagnose performance issues affecting the proper operation of wayside assets, TekTracking officials said in a press release.

Canadian trucking company Bison Transport recently acquired all of the intermodal assets of Indianapolis-based Celadon Group Inc. The acquisition includes Celadon's container-on-flat-car intermodal operations, operating personal, drivers and customers. The transaction will expand the trucking firm's intermodal services and its ability to support cross-border shippers in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Bison Transport officials said in a press release. The acquisition also supports a corporate initiative for continued growth in asset-light business platforms, they said.

HNTB Corp. has opened a new permanent office in downtown Baltimore. The office is staffed with professionals focusing on rail, transit, aviation and construction management projects. HNTB anticipates adding personnel in Maryland in the coming years. The engineering firm has a had 55-year presence in the state, as well as in Virginia and the District of Columbia. Currently, HNTB is working with the Maryland Transit Administration on key projects and supporting delivery of the Purple Line transit project as construction quality control lead. 

Hub Group Inc. recently was named to Forbes' annual list of America’s Best Mid-Size Employers for the second consecutive year. The intermodal marketing company was ranked 18th out of 500 recognized companies on the 2019 list. Hub Group also was ranked first in the transportation and logistics category. In 2018, the company was listed at No. 22 overall. The America’s Best Mid-Size Employers list recognizes companies that excel at making employees feel secure, understood, needed and inspired. Forbes conducts an independent and anonymous survey of 30,000-plus employees nationwide.