Skip to main content

Ricardo to acquire international rail business

International engineering and technology company Ricardo has announced an agreement to acquire the business, operating assets and employees engaged in the businesses of LR Rail, from Lloyd's Register Group. The acquisition will be materially complete on or before 1 July 2015 and the business will operate as the core of a new international rail business within Ricardo and combined with Ricardo's existing rail industry expertise, to be branded Ricardo Rail. Current LR Rail managing director Paul Seller wi
April 20, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
RSSInternational engineering and technology company 5606 Ricardo has announced an agreement to acquire the business, operating assets and employees engaged in the businesses of LR Rail, from Lloyd's Register Group.

The acquisition will be materially complete on or before 1 July 2015 and the business will operate as the core of a new international rail business within Ricardo and combined with Ricardo's existing rail industry expertise, to be branded Ricardo Rail. Current LR Rail managing director Paul Seller will take on the role of managing director of the Ricardo Rail business.

According to Ricardo, the acquisition is central to the delivery of growth in transportation and security, one of the company's three strategic pillars alongside energy and scarce resources and waste. The acquisition of LR Rail and the future growth of this business is driven by the increasing global interest in urban and high speed networks and the integration of critical and complex rail technologies as governments respond to accelerating levels of urbanisation. Ricardo therefore sees a strong and increasing demand for technical consulting and assurance services in the rail sector.

L R Rail is a highly successful rail consultancy and assurance business and is a trusted partner to a wide range of international clients. The company recorded, on a standalone basis, revenues of US$72 million in 2014 and has a staff of 440 rail engineers and specialists located at offices across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. LR Rail uses its understanding of critical and complex technologies and its independent expert advice to provide services ranging from rolling stock design, signalling and train control, intelligent rail systems, operational efficiency improvement, training and independent assurance services.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • PC for mobile digital signage applications
    July 30, 2012
    The VTC 2000 from NexCom International is a low-cost, in-vehicle PC which has been specifically designed for mobile digital signage applications. Featuring the energy-efficient Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, the VTC 2000 supports dual independent display and can play numerous file formats. For in-vehicle operation the platform can be powered directly from a vehicle's battery and has the ability to withstand extreme levels of shock and vibration. According to Nexcom, the device is therefore the ideal solu
  • Sensor solutions cuts maintenance and emissions
    December 8, 2014
    The new raft of sensor technology can provide cost savings as well as additional functionality, as David Crawford discovers. Austria’s third-largest city, Linz, with a population of around 200,000, is recording substantial savings in its urban tram network within 18 months of introducing a new, high-technology approach to its public transport management. Tram, bus and trolleybus operator Linz Linien forms part of city utilities management company Linz AG, which has been carrying out a wide-ranging Smart Cit
  • Redflex enforces commitment to ethics
    May 29, 2013
    Redflex has introduced stringent ethical and procedural requirements following an investigation into corruption in Chicago. Like the Phoenix, which also happens to be the name of the company’s home city, Redflex Traffic Systems has been reborn. Following a headline-making public relations debacle late last year, Redflex has reinvented itself, establishing a series of stringent policies and procedures to ensure ethical business conduct, while continuing to deliver the traffic safety technology and services t
  • Home based real time travel information drives reduction in car use
    January 20, 2012
    David Crawford investigates a new approach to discouraging car use - the 'kitchen as travel centre'. ITS technology working together with UK planning legislation is driving an innovative 'kitchen as travel centre' approach to home design which is boosting public transport as an alternative to car use. The combination is already proving powerful enough to assuage environmentalist opposition to major urban developments. It is also being seen as a way of delivering wider social and community benefits inside an