Harsco Secures Maintenance Contract from Swiss Federal Railways

Industrial services provider Harsco Corporation has secured more than $100m from the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) to provide railway track and infrastructure maintenance equipment through 2016.

Under the contract, Harsco Rail will supply SBB a combination of specialty vehicles and utility track vehicles (UTVs) that will be deployed on the Gotthard and Ceneri Base Tunnels, which are integral parts of the Swiss AlpTransit project. Delivery of the first vehicle is expected in 2015.
In addition, Harsco Rail is developing new technology for SBB, which will further support emissions reduction by using an advanced, dual-mode traction system which, in turn, reduces diesel fuel consumption.
Harsco president and CEO Patrick Decker said: “This contract is a major strategic win that goes beyond simply the dollar size of the order.
“Not only does it energise the growth of our European rail business model and support our future objectives, it speaks also to our capacity for technical innovation and responsiveness to stringent customer specifications,” Decker added.
Harsco Rail will buy 40% of the content for the UTVs from Swiss suppliers and will use components from other European rail suppliers.
The contract, which has provisions for future options, will enhance the business landscape of Harsco Rail by introducing the first products the division will design and manufacture in Europe.