Rail supplier updates from GE, RailComm, Alstom, RailPros, and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (June 12)

Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) installed GE's Trip Optimizer technology in its 24 new GE ES44C4 locomotives. Operating like an aircraft's autopilot, the software is aimed at helping railroads manage fuel expenses while maintaining transit times, FECR officials said. Trip Optimizer is designed to automatically control a train's throttle and dynamic brakes while allowing the operator to return to manual control at any time. The technology is also designed to reduce wear and tear on rolling stocks and tracks, in addition to improving consistency in train handling.

RailComm finalized a software-as-a-service (SaaS) contract with Kinder Morgan for remote rail control at its Deepwater Terminal in Pasadena, Texas. Kinder Morgan's yard control system will be hosted at RailComm's data center, which provides access to the latest version of RailComm's Domain Operations Controller (DOC®) system. The DOC Yard Control System will provide Kinder Morgan with remote control of switch machines and train routing.

Alstom's new metro train sets for the metropolitan system in Baku, Azerbaijan, recently began commercial operation. After undergoing testing, the three sets will now go into service on the systems Red and Green lines. The trainsets consist of five cars each.

RailPros Field Services hired Kendall Koff as senior vice president to manage existing operations and support ongoing expansion to other market sectors. Prior to joining RailPros, Koff served as senior VP of engineering and capital projects at OmniTRAX. He has more than 30 years of experience in the rail industry.

Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. hired Alan Esguerra as a senior transportation engineer. He'll be responsible for 3-D design and development of the firm's transportation projects in south-central Texas. Before joining the company, Esguerra worked as a 3-D design task lead at HNTB Corp.