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.

Related Content

  • July 19, 2012
    Align transport infrastructure needs with ITS offerings
    Kallistratos Dionelis, General Secretary of ASECAP, ponders the absence of creativity and innovation in the road management sector. 'Traditional' road managers and ITS specialists share many of the same ultimate goals and yet, he says, a common understanding of what technology can achieve is still conspicuously absent.
  • December 11, 2015
    ITS World Congress examines challenges of autonomous vehicles?
    The 2015 ITS World Congress opening ceremony saw PSA Peugeot Citroën executives arrive in an autonomous vehicle, so the International Benefits, Evaluation and Costs (IBEC) Working Group’s dedicated session proved very timely.
  • March 3, 2015
    Sensys expands Middle East customer base
    Sensys Traffic has received an order for traffic safety systems worth US$275,000 from an existing customer in the United Arab Emirates. Sensys has its biggest installed base, alongside Sweden, in the United Arab Emirates. The Middle East is currently Sensys’ second largest market and the company now has customers in eight of the region’s 14 countries and the company plans to open a local office in the territory in 2015. “Our positive growth continues in the Middle East, and this order further secures our po
  • June 10, 2015
    East Africa uses cargo tracking to foils criminals and collect tax
    Shem Oirere looks at the beneficial effect of cargo tracking. The mandatory installation of electronic cargo tracking and security (ECTS) systems in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda has helped enhance revenue collection, enforce cargo handling requirements, improved the business environment of the respective countries’ trade routes and helped cargo hauliers cut costs. This is being spearheaded by the state-owned tax collection agencies and the improved custom duty collection has not only enabled a reduction of im