Rail supplier updates from EMD, Colo Railroad, HDR, NRC, DNJ Intermodal and Parsons Brinckerhoff (March 12)

Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. (EMD) and analytics provider Uptake announced a plan to begin piloting an intelligent rail analytics platform with select customers in the coming months. The new platform is a reworked version of the IntelliTrain locomotive monitoring and repair application, and it utilizes a combination of data analytics, machine learning and predictive failure prevention to provide condition-based maintenance.

Colo Railroad Builders late last month reported a full year without a lost-time injury. The company also received recognition from the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association for its excellence in safety standards.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) met with representatives from HDR Inc. and the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) to tour the site of the Colton Crossing Rail-to-Rail Grade Separation project. Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, the project involves the construction of a flyover structure at the intersection of Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway Co. tracks.

DNJ Intermodal reached an agreement with M&M Transport to purchase the company's first container depot in Indianapolis, Ind. M&M Transport will continue to provide repair work on the 11-acre site. DNJ opened an additional 3-acre lot in Wausau, Wis., to drop and store containers for delivery by local drivers.

Parsons Brinckerhoff named Charles Hymes senior technical manager for the firm's Orlando, Fla., office. Prior to his hiring, Hymes oversaw major U.S. transit programs as a program director with another consulting firm. In his new role, Hymes will provide technical support for transit and rail projects throughout the United States.