Engineering and architecture firm Wilson & Co. Inc. has promoted Andrew Leifheit to senior vice president and leader of the rail services division; and Scott Waterman, Steve Salazar and  Dave Olson to VP. Leifheit helps develop key business partnerships and implement strategic business planning initiatives. Waterman, who has 28 years of transportation management experience, will lead transportation services in Colorado and Utah, while Salazar will lead municipal services in Colorado, Kansas and Utah. Olson has 20 years of engineering experience and is an operations manager in the rail division.

Alstom announced the first MP14 train is undergoing tests on RATP’s driverless line 1 in France. Following static tests designed to validate basic functions, dynamic tests will be carried out until summer to check the train’s performance, including braking, traction, electromagnetic compatibility, acoustic comfort and climate comfort, Alstom officials said in a press release. RATP will carry out tests on the trains’ automatic control system and onboard audio-visual equipment on line 14. Depending on how the tests progress, the trains will enter service at the state-owned metro sometime between the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020, Alstom officials said.

Kelso Technologies Inc. announced its vacuum relief valve (VRV) successfully completed a required two-year field service trial and now has obtained Association of American Railroads approval for full commercial use.  The VRV is designed to prevent a tank car from rupturing during loading operations or imploding while pumping its commodity load out of the tank. Without a controlled opening for breathing, a tank can also rupture or implode due to severe thermal changes, Kelso officials said in a press release. During the service trial, customers expressed interest in adopting the VRV in addition to their demand for Kelso’s pressure-relief valves for tank cars, they said.

Midland has launched a new website at midlandmfg.com. Part of OPW, a Dover company, Midland supplies tank-car safety valves and equipment to the rail industry. Easier to navigate, the new site embodies the company’s commitment to delivering what’s next for tank-car equipment, Midland officials said in a press release. The site now features improved navigation with a more intuitive menu, better search functions by type of content, a cleaner layout to emphasize key content, and new branding and design, they said.

Redwood Logistics announced it acquired Strive Logistics, which provides non-asset multimodal third-party logistics services from offices in Chicago and Austin, Texas. The combination creates a technology-focused, high-growth company, and an emerging multimodal logistics provider managing more than $1 billion worth of freight, Redwood Logistics officials said in a press release. The combined company will operate under the Redwood brand and Strive Logistics Chief Executive Officer Ben Greene, President Jon Provus and other management team members will join Redwood’s organization. Redwood Logistics provides supply chain, truckload, less than truckload, distribution and brokerage services, including intermodal.