Rail supplier updates from Siemens, Invensys Rail, L.B. Foster, Alstom and TouchStar (May 3)

Yesterday, Siemens' acquisition of Invensys Rail was completed. Invensys Rail now will be integrated into Siemens' Rail Automation business within the Mobility and Logistics Division of Siemens' Infrastructure & Cities organization, according to a statement sent to the companies' suppliers. After the integration, Siemens Rail Automation will have nearly 10,000 employees worldwide. Executive leadership of the newly created business will be drawn from both existing Siemens Rail Automation and Invensys Rail management. Siemens is "determined to retain, maintain and grow Invensys Rail local organizations" for the benefit of customers, partners and suppliers, the statement read.

L.B. Foster Co. has delivered 2,600 tons of 36-inch diameter steel pipe to Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc. for use as lateral shoring struts in the excavation of San Francisco's new Transbay Transit Center. The contractor required pipe in lengths from 40 feet to 70 feet to support the steel wide flange beams of the shoring walls inside the 60-foot-deep excavation, according to a L.B. Foster press release.

Alstom obtained a $1.3 million contract from UK Power Networks Services to supply its Harmonic and Energy Saving Optimiser energy recovery system for the Victoria Line of the London Underground. The contract calls for a trial of inverting substation technology that will run until 2014 at the Cloudesley Road substation.

TouchStar has formed a business partnership with Houston-based crude-oil gatherer and marketer Great Northern Midstream L.L.C., operating under its subsidiaries ND Land L.L.C., BakkenLink Pipeline L.L.C. and Great Northern Gathering & Marketing L.L.C. For Great Northern, TouchStar will implement its CrudePac™ fleet automation system, designed to precisely track production deliveries of crude oil in real time, whether truck-to-tank, truck-to-train or truck-to-pipeline.