Skip to main content

Wabtec announces PTC contracts with Metra

Wabtec Corporation has signed contracts worth about US$45 million Metra and Parsons Transportation Group (PTG) to provide equipment and services for a Positive Train Control (PTC) system for the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra). Metra operates commuter rail service in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, serving more than 100 communities at 241 rail stations, with a fleet of 146 locomotives, 843 passenger cars and 185 electric-propelled cars. Under the contracts, Wa
December 18, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
6079 Wabtec Corporation has signed contracts worth about US$45 million Metra and 4089 Parsons Transportation Group (PTG) to provide equipment and services for a Positive Train Control (PTC) system for the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra).
 
Metra operates commuter rail service in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, serving more than 100 communities at 241 rail stations, with a fleet of 146 locomotives, 843 passenger cars and 185 electric-propelled cars.
 
Under the contracts, Wabtec will provide interoperable electronic train management system (I-ETMS) equipment, including kits and replacement components.  In addition, Wabtec will provide its TMDS back office system, as well as track data, training and related services.  Metra’s PTC system will be fully interoperable with PTC systems being implemented by Class I railroads in the US.
 
Raymond T. Betler, Wabtec’s president and chief executive officer, said:  “We have worked with Metra for several years to develop and design their PTC program, and we are pleased to help in its implementation.  Wabtec continues to demonstrate a unique and industry-leading ability to assist customers in meeting their PTC requirements.”
 
Betler also commented on the recent passage of the U.S. transportation funding bill, a five-year bill now known as the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act:  “The new bill includes several provisions that should be good for the U.S. transit industry and, therefore, for Wabtec.  For example, this is the first multi-year bill passed in a decade, and that means transit agencies should have a longer-term planning horizon for potential projects. In addition, the bill calls for a 10.2 percent funding increase in year one and further increases in future years.  When coupled with our strong backlog of transit projects around the world, the new bill is another reason to be optimistic about Wabtec’s long-term growth opportunities in the transit market.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ATA, NATSO, commend long term highway bill
    October 26, 2015
    The American Trucking Association (ATA) and NATSO, the national association representing truck-stops and travel plazas have commended the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for passing the long-term Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (STRRA), with some concerns. ATA president and CEO Bill Graves urged House leaders to take the next step quickly, saying, “While we're anxious to see the funding portion of the bill, the roadmap laid out by this legislation is a good
  • Illinois EPA funds cleaner transport options in Chicago area
    December 13, 2018
    The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has pledged approximately $19 million in its first round of funding to help transit agencies invest in cleaner modes of transport. This initial round has been distributed to local companies as part of the Driving a Cleaner Illinois Programme – an initiative which seeks to improve air quality in the state by removing old diesel engines from service. Funding is expected to provide clean air benefits for working families and children in ‘environmental jus
  • US Senate approves Highway Trust Fund patch
    August 1, 2014
    The US Congress gave final approval last night to a US$10.8 billion bill to replenish the federal Highway Trust Fund and through to May 2015. It now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature. The Transportation Department had set Friday as the day the Highway Trust Fund would run out of reserves and told states they could expect an average 28 percent reduction in federal aid. The fund relies primarily on gasoline and diesel fuel taxes that haven’t been increase in two decades. Commenting on the
  • Support for US transportation bill
    November 6, 2015
    The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) and the Teamsters have given their support to the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (the STRR Act), which was overwhelmingly approved by the US House of Representatives after three days of debate. The bipartisan, multi-year surface transportation bill to reauthorise and reform federal highway, transit, and highway safety programs helps improve US surface transportation infrastructure, refocuses programs on address