Rail supplier news from TransSystems, London Trackwork, WSP, Rail Partners, H&H and HDR (Jan. 21)

TranSystems promoted Matthew Gehman to principal and senior vice president, and Todd Herman, VP. Gehman has more than 20 years of project management and technical experience, including with projects involving facility physical evaluation, terminal operation analyses and master planning of container terminals and intermodal rail facilities. Meanwhile, Herman has more than 26 years of experience in bridge design, planning, and project and client management of transportation structures, with an emphasis on railroad structures for Class Is, TranSystems officials said in a press release.

London Trackwork Inc. has been awarded a one-and-a-half-year contract to supply special trackwork for the Trillium Line light-rail extension in Ottawa, Ontario. The contract includes track work at five geometry turnouts, a single crossover and double crossover, London Trackwork officials said in a press release. The nearly 10-mile extension will include eight new stations and will extend from Greenboro to Limebank in Riverside South. SNC Lavalin Constructors Inc. is the design-build contractor.

WSP USA promoted Joy Melita to Arizona transportation and infrastructure manager. Melita will manage operations, oversee project delivery and increase and diversify business in Arizona. WSP's Arizona offices have been involved with program and construction management for Valley Metro, as well as consultant work for the Sonoran passenger-rail corridor studies, WSP officials said in a press release. Previously, Melita served as a regional civil engineering manager and senior project manager for the Texas and Mountain region, and as a project engineer and project manager for the Arizona Department of Transportation. 

Tactical Cleaning Co. LLC, a managed affiliate of Rail Partners Management Group LLC, has acquired the assets of Specialty Rescue and Fire Services. The addition of Specialty Rescue adds hazard assessment and safety training, stand-by rescue, and silo cleaning and repair to Rail Partners’ rail and industrial services platform, Rail Partners officials said in a press release.

Hardest & Hanover hired Devin Plantamura as senior track manager to lead the track design department of the firm’s passenger- and freight-rail practices. The department supports bridge, station and facility design, inspection and maintenance services. Plantamura has more than 14 years of experience. He previously served as a task leader, deputy project manager and project engineer for several railroad infrastructure improvement projects. He also has worked on highway and structural design, as well as bridge and railroad inspections. 

The Women’s Transportation Seminar Inland Empire Chapter named HDR’s Lisa Reece the 2019 Woman of the Year. Reece is HDR’s transportation client development leader for Southern California, and a founding member of the Inland Empire chapter. She was recognized for being an outstanding role model in the transportation industry by creating and fundraising for the Susan Van Note Scholarship; working with the San Gorgonio Girl Scouts Council Board to introduce more than 500 elementary and high school girls to transportation careers; and assisting the Girl Scouts Council with obtaining an HDR Foundation grant that provided earth science equipment for ongoing environmental educations programs. This is the first time in the chapter’s history that the award recognized a woman from the private sector, HDR officials said in a press release.