International Railroad Discussion > "GE lands [$60M] Brazilian C&S [overhaul] contract"

July 2 news blurb from RAILWAY AGE Magazine:
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GE-Transportation lands Brazilian C&S contract

GE-Transportation said Wednesday it has been awarded a $60 million contract from Vale Railway to overhaul the signaling and communication system along approximately 600 kilometers (370 miles) of the Vitoria-Minas rail route and in the rail yard of the Tubarao port. The project is expected to be completed by 2010.

The rail operation is a subsidiary of Brazilian mining company Companhia Vale do Rio Doce SA, and is used to transport iron ore and related materials to Tubarao for export.

GE says the new cost-effective system will upgrade relay-based equipment that is up to 30 years old, and will increase transport capacity by 23% through diminishing the distance needed between trains while ensuring continued safe operation. The project will utilize GE's ElectroLogIXS* signaling platform that provides control of power switch machines and lighting of signal lamps, replacing relays at railroad crossings. The ElectroLogIXS system will allow Vale to simplify the continued upgrade of its rail network interlocking control systems over time to increase network velocity and capacity.

The project also includes orders for GE's Electrocode* track circuits that detects the presence or absence of a train on a section of track, and Cab-X* cab signaling products that will act as the onboard rail communications hub.

"This partnership is of paramount importance to guarantee that we continue to transport our loads in a safe and efficient way, in addition to supporting the increase in the future demand for Railroad Vitória to Minas," said Luiz Fernando Landeiro, Vale's general manager for Development and Technical Railroad Services.

GE says the contract is its largest rail signaling project in South America. "We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with Vale to upgrade their signaling systems," said Pierre Comte, president of GE–Transportation Global Signaling. "Our recent success around the globe is due to the breadth and technological capabilities of our signaling portfolio for a variety of rail environments."