advertisement

---

Thales Canada has obtained a contract from Partnerships B.C. to install the SelTrac® communications-based train control (CBTC) system on the new SkyTrain Evergreen light-rapid transit line. Scheduled to enter service in 2016, the seven-station line will connect Coquitlam to Vancouver via Port Moody and Burnaby in British Columbia. Thales will upgrade the existing central control system and employ a two-stage implementation scheme to minimize any impact to existing SkyTrain service, according to a press release.

Rideau Transit Group Partnership, a consortium that includes SNC-Lavalin is a partner, has finalized an agreement with the city of Ottawa to design, build, finance and maintain the Confederation Line, the city's first light-rail transit system, according to a press release. The partnership will be responsible for the construction of 7.7 miles of guideway, 10 above-ground stations, three underground stations and a 1.6-mile tunnel beneath the downtown core. The consortium also will widen Highway 417 between Nicholas Street and the Highway 174 split, supply light-rail vehicles, build a maintenance and storage facility, and provide ongoing maintenance of the system for a 30-year period.

Alstom is launching the Citadis Spirit, a new light-rail vehicle tailored to the North American market. The company will provide 34 of the vehicles and 30 years of maintenance services to the Rideau Transit Group, the consortium selected to design build, finance and maintain the first line of Ottawa's light-rail system, according to an Alstom press release.  For Ottawa, Alstom will provide a high-capacity version of the Citadis Spirit designed to operate in extreme conditions.

Miller Felpax Corp. announced plans to complete a 20 percent expansion of its facilities, which will include additional offices, warehousing space, and training and innovation lab facilities. "Our top-line growth has been consistently exceeding 10 percent on an annual basis and our growth plans going forward call for a 20 percent to 30 percent increase over the next several years," said President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Blue in a prepared statement. "This investment in infrastructure reflects our confidence that we can keep growing by continuing to offer new products to the railroad industry."

Racine Railroad Products has named Tim Brake director of sales and John Huddleston, sales manager East. Brake, who has experience working for a Class I and in the supply industry, will be responsible for directing the sales and marketing team for the company located in Mount Pleasant, Wis. Huddleston, who has more than 30 years of railroad industry experience in sales and operations, will be responsible for product line sales in the eastern United States.

Bridger Transfer Services L.L.C. has executed a long-term agreement with Eddystone Rail Co. L.L.C. to through-put seven unit trains per week, or about 80,000 barrels of crude oil, into barges for delivery to East Coast refineries. Bridger will bring crude oil to the Philadelphia area from unit trains that will originate primarily out of the Enbridge Rail L.P. unit train loading facility in Berthold, N.D. EddyStone Rail is a joint venture company that is 75 percent owned by Enbridge Rail L.L.C., a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., and 25 percent owned by Canopy Prospecting Inc.