Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904
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business briefs 69 AUGUST 2014 m ETRO m AGAZINE > FOOTHILL ADDING FIRST 2ND-GEN PROTERRA ELECTRIC BUS Based on the sustainability, fuel savings and performance of buses launched in 2010, West Covina, Calif.-based Foothill Transit agreed to purchase two more Proterra buses, moving the agency closer to its goal of expanding electric bus service into other lines. It is Proterra's frst sale of its second-generation EV bus. Expected delivery of the new 40-foot electric buses is December 2014. AECOM TO ACQUIRE URS CORP. Los Angeles-based engineering frm AECOM Technology Corp. announced plans to buy URS Corp. for a combination of cash and stock valued at approximately $4 billion dollars or $56.31 per share, with a total value of approximately $6 billion. The combined company will be a leading, fully integrated infrastructure and federal services provider with more than 95,000 employees in 150 countries. MCI DELIVERS 3 SETRAS TO BOSTON Boston-area MBT Worldwide added three new Setra S 407 coaches from MCI. The Setra S 407 Comfort Class ofers German engineering and a clean-power Mercedes- Benz BlueTec engine. Safety features include an Electronic Stability Program, all- wheel disc brakes and ABA braking with anti-slip control. LANTA ADDS STERTIL-KONI LIFTS The Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANta) selected and installed a targeted range of Stertil-Koni's in-ground scissor lifts, platform lifts and wireless mobile column lifts for use in LANta's recently completed, state-of-the-art, bus maintenance facility. VOLVO, ABB FORM PARTNERSHIP Under a global partnership agreement, Volvo Buses will supply electric-hybrid buses and full-electric buses, with ABB supplying standard-based fast-charging solutions for the electric vehicles. The partnership involves working toward a standardization of automatic e-bus fast charging on the market. ESPAR NOW OFFERING LEGACY CARRIER AC SYSTEMS Espar Climate Control Systems is now manufacturing the legacy Carrier AC 310 and AC 350 roof mounted AC Systems in North America. In 2010, ESPAR'S parent company, Eberspaecher, purchased the assets of the Carrier Sutrak for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India and Mexico, and initially accepted the responsibility to provide support for the Eberspaecher AC systems being imported on Van Hool, Volvo and Temsa coaches. KEOLIS BEGINS MBTA CONTRACT In July, Keolis Commuter Services ofcially began operating the Boston- based Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's 14 commuter rail lines with a pledge to increase on-time performance, improve safety and more. In January 2014, Keolis won a highly competitive bid for the $2.6 billion, eight-year contract to operate and maintain the service. VOITH TO SUPPLY TRANSMISSIONS FOR GILLIG PITTSBURGH CONTRACT Voith Turbo Inc. will deliver 60 DIWA.5 automatic transmissions to Gillig, which will be used in clean-diesel buses bound for the Port Authority of Allegheny County transit system in Pittsburgh. Voith's DIWA.5 transmission allows for very smooth gear shifts, which reduce wear and tear and increase driving comfort in city transit buses. ALSTOM DELIVERS NEW SPANISH SIGNALING SYSTEM Alstom commissioned the new Málaga Metro signaling system on lines 1 and 2 in Spain, which ofcially entered into service in July. It is based on Alstom's Urbalis 400 CBTC, a train control system using radio communication that provides real-time New Flyer to focus on single heavy-duty platform New Flyer Industries Inc. announced plans to focus on a single heavy-duty transit and BRT bus platform that features its Xcelsior brand. Xcelsior comes with a variety of propulsion options, including clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, electric-trolley, and now, zero-emission battery-electric. Similar to New Flyer's previous bus models, Xcelsior is customized and confgured to meet each customer's unique specifcations. New Flyer plans to further enhance its BRT styling options for the Xcelsior platform by building on NABI's extensive BRT experience and New Flyer's customer input.