Harsco to install safety systems to alert rail track workers

Harsco Rail's Protran Technology unit has secured new contracts from US regional transit districts to install safety systems that would notify the railway track workers on the ground when a train is approaching their work zones.

The contracts were signed with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the Sacramento Regional Transit District that serves Washington, DC, and Sacramento, California, respectively.

The financial terms of the contract were not disclosed by the company.

Protran Technology senior director Jim Resio said: “We’re excited to be leading our industry with products that protect personal safety.

“Our mission is to develop and deploy best-in-class technology that can help keep potential accidents from happening.”

Under the contract, the company will deliver the orders through the end of this year which includes the installation of Protran’s Enhanced Employee Protection System that offers a three-way communication among track workers, train operators and dispatchers in the central office.

“Our mission is to develop and deploy best-in-class technology that can help keep potential accidents from happening.”

The new system will automatically alert all the three units when a train enters a designated work zone, providing an additional layer of protection to the workers at the tracks, as well as train operators.

Besides these two regional transit districts, nearly 25 other metropolitan transit networks have installed the Protran safety equipment for their track workers and train fleets.

A diversified industrial company, Harsco delivers a variety of on-site services and engineered products to multiple industries such as steel, energy and railways.