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• Ansaldo STS Australia has obtained a $101 million signaling and communications contract from Rio Tinto Iron Ore in Australia. The contract is the first major award under a framework agreement established between Ansaldo STS and Rio Tinto in November 2010, which calls for Ansaldo to deliver services over five years to support Rio Tinto’s expansion and other projects in Western Australia's Pilbara region. The total value of the work over the five years is $492 million.

• Alstom recently obtained an $83.7 million contract to supply tramways to SYTRAL in Lyons, France, and a $39 million contract to supply eight trainsets to the Pays de la Loire region in France. The contract with SYTRAL calls for Alstom to supply 10 high-capacity Citadis tramways, which will operate on the T3 line. Options for an additional two to nine tramsets may be issued at a later date. The other contract calls for Alstom to supply eight additional trainsets to operate on the Nantes-Chateaubriant line. They will be delivered in stages between 2013 and 2014.

• Wabtec Corp.’s MotivePower Inc. subsidiary has obtained a contract to build 22 locomotives for Australian grain transporter CBH Group.  MotivePower will build standard- and narrow-gauge locomotives that will be designed for fuel efficiency and U.S. Tier 2 emission standards. The locomotives are slated for delivery in 2012.

• Banyan Rail Services Inc.’s wholly owned subsidiary The Wood Energy Group Inc. has obtained an amended service agreement with Kansas City Southern to pick up and dispose of more than 500,000 scrap crossties each of the next two years. The agreement covers scrap ties along KCS’ 3,500-mile, 10-state system. “By virtue of this amended agreement, Wood Energy will increase its total tie reclamation volume to well over 2 million ties annually,” said Wood Energy President Greg Smith in a prepared statement.

• Tom Peacock has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Interfleet Technology as a principal consultant. He previously served as director of operations and technical services for the American Public Transportation Association, and director of motive power and equipment for the Federal Railroad Administration.

• Kelso Technologies (USA) Inc. has become a member of the Railway Supply Institute (RSI). The company plans to display its pressure-relief valves and manway securement system at the RSI trade show Sept. 18-21 in Minneapolis as part of Railway Interchange 2011.