“We set out to identify the ideal company to carry forward our rolling stock wayside monitoring solutions and we have found that company in Wabtec,” said Ron Bisio, Trimble’s Senior Vice President with responsibility for rail.

Wabtec to Expand Digital Rail Inspection Business

Wabtec Corp. on April 20 reported that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Beena Vision wayside inspection system business from Trimble.

Indian Railways selected Wabtec to help it improve fleet availability by detecting and addressing certain defects before potential in-service failures.

Supply Side: Wabtec, Navis

Wabtec Corporation has landed a contract to support Indian Railways’ “Smart Yard” initiative. Plus, Navis will supply a terminal operating system to ITS ConGlobal for the new Mid-Willamette Valley Intermodal Center in Oregon.

The aim of Wabtec’s newest locomotive, the ES44ACi diesel-electric, is “to improve Brazil’s heavy-haul rail network and drive sustainability,” according to the manufacturer. Suzano, MRS and Rumo have placed orders (pictured).

First Look: Wabtec ES44ACi Diesel-Electric for Brazil

Following eight years of work with operators in Brazil’s rail market, Wabtec Corp. is debuting its new ES44ACi diesel-electric locomotive, with deliveries to Suzano, MRS and Rumo this month and next.

A before and after look at Norfolk Southern locomotives at Wabtec’s Locomotive plant on Aug. 6, 2021 in Fort Worth, Tex. Wabtec celebrated its 1,000th locomotive modernization in North and South America. (Brandon Wade/AP Images for Wabtec)

Wabtec Lands NS Power-Upgrade Order

Wabtec has been selected to modernize 330 GE Dash 9-44CW units for Norfolk Southern (NS). The new order will bring Wabtec’s total number of power upgrades for the Class I railroad to more than 950 upon completion of work in 2025.

Matt Elkott
Commentary

Cowen: Wabtec Investor Day Insight

March 9 was Investor Day for Wabtec (WAB), and its five-year margin target is ahead of consensus for the next three years (the maximum available). Revenue and EPS targets are not inconsistent with Street expectations. Cowen and Company believes WAB’s geographic breakout could position it well as some rail commodities shift from Russia to other world regions.

Starting in second-quarter 2022, the companies will demonstrate the performance of biodiesel (B20) and renewable diesel (R55) in revenue service on Wabtec Tier 3 and Tier 4 Evolution Series locomotives. The units will run in California.

BNSF, Wabtec to Test Higher-Percentage Blends of Biofuels

BNSF is partnering with Wabtec on a biofuels pilot “aimed at quantifying the impact of alternative fuels on emissions, durability and performance in Wabtec locomotives,” Wabtec reported on March 9.

Wabtec, CP, KCS Supporting Ukraine Relief Efforts (UPDATED)

The Wabtec Foundation, Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) are donating $100,000, $500,000 and $500,000, respectively, in support of humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine and for Ukrainian refugees.

UP said it will start testing with B20 biodiesel and R55 renewable diesel on trains powered by Wabtec FDL engines operating in California in the second quarter.

For UP, Higher Biodiesel Blends

Union Pacific (UP) will begin using a higher biodiesel blend in locomotives acquired from Wabtec, the Class I railroad reported on March 8.

Matt Elkott

Rail Equipment Market: The Cowen Insight

Cowen and Company on Feb. 15 held a webinar with five expert panelists addressing the current state and outlook for the rail, locomotive, and railcar leasing and manufacturing markets.

Wabtec President and CEO Rafael Santana

Wabtec: ‘Momentum’ Building for 2022

“The breadth of our product portfolio combined with our multi-year backlog provides us with a solid foundation for growth in 2022,” Wabtec Corp. President and CEO Rafael Santana said during a fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 earnings announcement on Feb. 16; he noted that the company’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive is “gaining traction.”

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