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• Alstom has begun dynamic testing on the Coradia Polyvalent, the latest addition to its regional trains. The tests are occurring in the Czech Republic at the Velim test center, and in France at Railway Testing Centres in Valenciennes and Bar-le-Duc in France, and on a section of the RFF line between Wissembourg and Hoffen. About 50 engineers and specialist technicians from Alstom will be onboard 10 pre-series Coradia Polyvalent trains until early 2013 to complete the work needed to meet the 3,000 contractual requirements, according to an Alstom press release.

• Railinc Corp. has upgraded the Interline Service Agreement (ISA) Repository by streamlining the process of entering into an ISA and making the electronic application accessible to railroads of all sizes. The upgrade helps railroads that operate in and around major rail gateways improve planning and communication with their interchange partners, according to a Railinc press release. Railinc developed the upgrade under the guidance of the Association of American Railroads’ Gateway Performance Improvement Committee.

• Bombardier Transportation has signed cooperation agreements with Russian rail manufacturer UVZ to jointly develop and sell state-of-the-art metros and trams. The agreement calls for Bombardier and UVZ to jointly develop and market metro trains specifically designed for the “challenging requirements” of Moscow Metro and other cities in the Commonwealth of Independent States, according to a Bombardier press release.

• HP officials have announced that Russian Railways has significantly improved its information technology (IT) operations with HP IT Service Management (ITSM). HP’s ITSM automated the management and quality control of Russian Railways IT service support processes. HP and partner Digital Design used ITIL best practices to transform the IT processes without disruption of daily business, according to an HP press release.

• KYDEX L.L.C. has appointed Ronn Cort president. He joined KYDEX in 2005 as international business manager and most recently served as vice president of sales and marketing. Cort has been instrumental in driving international sales growth, and was a key player in the development of the new designLab™ collaborative workspace, according to a KYDEX press release. Before joining KYDEX, Cort was business manager at FLM Group, and prior to that, a sales manager at RJF Internationals.

• Michael Baker Jr. Inc. has appointed Christopher Gesing national director of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) services for rail and transit. Gesing has more than 30 years of transportation industry planning, engineering and environmental compliance experience. He is known nationally for leading large, complex NEPA studies, according to a press release. Currently, Gesing is leading the engineering, environmental studies and preparation of an environmental impact statement to upgrade the New Orleans Rail Gateway and other infrastructure in Louisiana.