Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904
Issue link: https://metromag.epubxp.com/i/320361
30 < m ETRO m AGAZINE JUNE 2014 metro-magazine.com CONTRACTOR SERVICES Founded in 1994, Herzog Transit Ser- vices Inc. (HTSI), located in Dallas, of- fers a variety of services, including train operations and dispatching; right-of-way maintenance; rail vehicle, stations and facilities maintenance; and is "proud to provide one-stop shopping for what tran- sit systems need," Norm Jester, HTSI's VP, corporate development, says. HTSI is involved in the movement of 96,000 passenger trains each year, pri- marily in commuter rail, and operates 11 contracts around the country, includ- ing in Dallas; San Jose, Calif.; Atlantic City, N.J.; Austin, Texas; Stockton, Calif.; Oceanside, Calif.; Albuquerque, N.M.; San Pedro, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; and Lew- isville, Texas, he adds. Soon, HTSI may also add Kansas City, Mo., to that list, as it potentially takes on a streetcar project for the Kansas City Streetcar Authority. Recently, the contractor was selected to negotiate with the transit system for operation and maintenance of its new streetcar, which will run in Kansas City's downtown area. If awarded the contract, Her- zog Contracting Corp. would build the streetcar and HTSI would operate and maintain the streetcar, Jester explains. Th e c o nt ra c t o r i s e xc i t- ed about the opportunity, and optimistic about suc- cessful closure of the nego- tiations. HTSI expects to fnd out about the agreement with Kansas City Streetcar in the next several weeks. Although HTSI already op- erates one streetcar line, the Port of Los Angeles Water- front Streetcar, a vintage- style system, the Kansas City Streetcar, with a more modern style, introduces a relatively new business unit into the ser- vices HTSI provides to the industry. "Heretofore, people have looked at [HTSI] as being commuter rail service providers," Jester says. "Tis launches us into the streetcar [market]." HTSI is looking forward to getting into the streetcar business, he adds, because of the numerous cities that are planning streetcar lines. Bombardier Transportation is partic- ularly proud of ofering its clients game- changing approaches to maintaining and operating rail feets by leveraging its vast manufacturing experience in the rail and aerospace sectors, combined with technology solutions it adapted specif- ically to the rail environment, Thomas Martin, GM, sales and business develop- ment, services, Bombardier Transporta- tion, says. An example of this approach is the con- tractor's implementation of World Class Operations and Maintenance (WCO&M;) at its sites in Europe and North America. By combining foundational principles of lean manufacturing with best practic- es adapted from its manufacturing sites, Bombardier achieved greater results with respect to feet reliability and availability, as well as in maintaining the value of its clients' assets beyond what a tradition- al maintenance approach ofers, Martin explains. Agence Métropolitaine de Transport, Montréal's (AMT) commuter rail service recently benefited from this approach. Bombardier 's team of operation and maintenance experts worked alongside the transit system's personnel to imple- ment the WCO&M; program for the main- tenance of its rail feet. Bombardier is also implementing sev- eral key innovations to streamline AMT's operation. Among these innovations are its Sentio products, which employ wire- less communication coupled with a set of information tools that provide person- nel instant access to documents, instruc- tions, drawings and work orders via Web- enabled handheld devices, Martin says. The contractor is als o optimizing AMT's maintenance regime, providing greater access to meaningful asset condi- tion data, and enhancing the safety, reli- ability and availability of the feet. Overall, the contractor's team of more than 1,400 service employees in North America also maintains facilities and sta- tions and provides dispatching, overhaul, spare parts, long-term material supply agreements and technology solutions, including elearning, TrackSafe roadway worker protection and inventory opti- mization. BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION HERZOG TRANSIT SERVICES INC. Bombardier's team of operation and maintenance experts worked with Agence Métropolitaine de Transport, Montréal to apply key innovations to enhance feet reliability and availability. Herzog Transit Services Inc. operates the Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Streetcar, a vintage-style system, and is looking to add its expertise to developing other streetcar lines.