Rail supplier news from Alstom, Hitachi Rail and Railserve includes a new U.S. maintenance facility, an automatic fare-collection contract in Indonesia and rail-yard safety technology.

Rail Supplier News: Three Supplier Updates
Photo: Alstom

Alstom has purchased a 20-acre property in Newark, Delaware. The site will host a maintenance facility for Amtrak’s NextGen Acela passenger trains. According to Alstom⁠, the company is investing more than $55 million in the property purchase and related site improvements. Once operational, the facility is expected to employ about 100 people.

The site was selected partly for its direct access to Northeast Corridor tracks. The planned facility will be able to service two trainsets at the same time. A third outdoor track will be available for storage. Alstom expects the facility to open in summer 2028. The company also plans to adapt existing warehouses for storage and office use as part of a parts distribution center.

Alstom Newark maintenance facility and workforce development

Alstom has also expanded its work with U.S. academic institutions. The activity forms part of its commitment to rail workforce development. The company is setting up an engineering scholarship fund at a college near one of its New York manufacturing plants.

In addition, Alstom is joining the advisory board of New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management. It is also becoming a founding sponsor of the Transportation Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania.

MRT Jakarta automatic fare-collection system

Hitachi Rail has been awarded a contract with Japan-based Sumitomo Corp. The contract covers the second phase of the MRT Jakarta North-South Line project in Indonesia. According to Sumitomo Corp.⁠, the companies will design, supply, install, test and commission a new automatic fare-collection system across seven new stations.

Hitachi Rail will serve as the system integrator and solution provider under the contract. Company officials said the system will improve MRT Jakarta’s transit infrastructure. It will also improve operational efficiency and offer passengers more flexible payment options.

Separately, the contract covers system interfaces and fare-collection software. That work applies to 13 stations built during phase one of the MRT Jakarta North-South Line.

Railserve YardGUARD safety system

Railserve, a Marmon Rail company, has launched YardGUARD. The integrated rail-yard safety system adds real-time engineered controls to switching operations. According to Railserve officials, YardGUARD brings six safety components into one system. It can provide real-time visibility and alerts across multiple critical areas of rail yards.

The system is configured for each facility where it is deployed. It is also embedded into Railserve’s operating model. The system combines sensing, vision, communications and cloud-based monitoring technology as part of a layered safety approach.

Railserve has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel-based Rail Vision Ltd. The agreement expands collaboration on Rail Vision’s ShuntingYard perception systems. The MOU follows Railserve’s successful initial deployment of the ShuntingYard system under a commercialization agreement⁠ signed in January 2024.

Under the new MOU, the companies will discuss additional deployments. They will also discuss potential new use cases and other commercial opportunities, Rail Vision officials said.