Rail supplier news from Hitachi Rail, Thales, Savage and IANA (June 3)

Hitachi Rail has acquired Thales’ Ground Transportation Systems business for $1.8 billion, expanding Hitachi's global presence to 51 countries with the majority of revenue now coming from higher-return signaling and systems. The transaction nearly doubles Hitachi Rail’s engineering capability and increases investment in innovation to provide an enhanced digital product offer, spanning signaling, ticketing, operations and cybersecurity solutions, according to a news release.

Savage President and CEO Kirk Aubry will retire from the company on Dec. 31. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Roberts is being promoted to the additional role of president, effective immediately. Roberts will assume the role of CEO on Jan. 1, 2025. During Aubry's tenure, Savage brought new businesses into the company in the agriculture, infrastructure and environmental sectors, according to a news release. 

The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) has added two schools to its Scholarship Award Program: the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Both offer a comprehensive curriculum in logistics and transportation, including intermodal. Together, they bring the total number of participating institutions to 13. Since the award program's inception in 2007, IANA has provided $5.3 million to support students in university programs focused on freight and intermodal transportation. The program provides financial support for tuition, enriches coursework and student research, and facilitates student travel to key freight and intermodal facilities and events, IANA officials said in a news release.