Rail supplier updates from Union Tank Car, Norsat, Holland, Bombardier and Parsons Brinckerhoff (June 8)

Union Tank Car Co. plans to build a second facility in Marion, Ohio. The expansion was prompted by new federal guidelines for the service of ethanol and crude-oil tank cars. The new facility will be used to upgrade Union Tank Car's existing fleet to meet the new regulations, and will create 200 jobs over the next three years, company officials said in a press release.

Norsat International Inc. has received orders valued in excess of $800,000 for its mobile, wayside and base station antennas for exclusive use in positive train control (PTC) applications. So far in 2015, the company has received purchase orders totaling $1.3 million. The newest orders follow a lull in 2014 orders as railroads and the U.S. government worked through a series of obstacles in implementing PTC, Norsat officials said in a press release.

Holland LP was named a "TTX Excellent Supplier" by TTX Co. based on its overall supplier evaluation that reviews five performance categories, including quality, cost, delivery, service and financial/administration. This is Holland's 19th time earning the distinction, with 16 of those years being consecutive.

Bombardier appointed Louis Veronneau vice president of mergers and acquisitions. In his new role, he'll oversee partnerships, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures on a global scale. Additionally, Veronneau will play a leading role in preparing an initial public offering of a minority stake in Bombardier Transportation, the company's rail division.

Judith Andersen was appointed assistant vice president of Parsons Brinckerhoff's Pittsburgh office. She has more than 31 years of engineering experience, including in marketing and business development, quality assurance, staff management and project management. Before joining Parsons Brinckherhoff, Andersen worked as a senior project manager at an engineering firm in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, the firm also hired John Nicholson Jr. to serve as senior project manager in Pittsburgh. Nicholson will now lead the company's multidisciplinary teams working on transportation projects throughout Pennsylvania. He has more than 21 years of transportation industry experience, with expertise in construction and rehabilitation projects.