Rail supplier news from Capital Railroad, Koppers, Jacobs, HDR and Acciona

Capital Railroad Contracting announced it has acquired Koppers Railroad Structures, effective Aug. 29. With the acquisition, Capital Railroad Contracting continues its commitment to growth and providing high-quality railroad construction and maintenance/repair services across the country, company officials said in a press release. Koppers' Madison, Wisconsin, location will remain fully operational. Leadership, operations and teams remain the same under new ownership, however, the business will operate under the name Capital Railroad Services Inc. “This acquisition will help expand the service offerings of Capital Railroad Services and continue to build upon the proud history of Koppers Railroad Structures and Capital Railroad Contracting. We couldn’t be more excited for the future,” said Aaron Vollrath, who with Bob Gerke, are the owners of the acquiring company. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Jacobs, in joint venture with HDR Inc., has been selected to provide engineering consultant services for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) Interborough Express (IBX) light-rail project that will result in a new 14-mile transit line connecting communities across Brooklyn and Queens, New York. The Jacobs-HDR JV team will lead design development addressing freight integration, tunnel retrofits and major bridge modifications while also advising on delivery strategy and operational readiness studies for the project, Jacobs officials said in a press release. "Through advanced service planning, intuitive station design that reflects the character of each neighborhood, we're working with the MTA to deliver a community-centered system that keeps New Yorkers safe and connected to opportunities for growth," said Jacobs Executive Vice President Katus Watson. The contract is valued at $166 million, according to several media reports.

Acciona announced it is part of the Trillium Rail Partners consortium that was awarded a contract by Metrolinx to design and build the westward extension of Line 5 Eglinton light-rail service between Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario. The project consists of a nearly 6-mile addition to the light-rail line with seven new stations, four of which are underground, and will run from the already-constructed Mount Dennis Station in Toronto to Renforth Drive in Mississauga. Acciona has been building critical infrastructure in Canada since 2001, company officials said in a press release.