HARRISBURG, Pa., June 20, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Worldwide industrial services and products company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) announced today that its Harsco Track Technologies (HTT) division has been awarded an order for its Model NTC New Track Construction machine to support the 1,420-kilometer (nearly 900-mile) Alice Springs to Darwin rail link project, one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Australia. The order was received from ADrail, a joint venture comprising Kellogg/Brown & Root, Barclay Mowlem, John Holland Group and Macmahon Holdings, who are responsible for the design and construction of the project. Terms of the order were not disclosed. When completed in early 2004, the link will connect Australia's southern states with its northern region, completing a transcontinental "landbridge" to Asian markets.
The New Track Construction (NTC) machine will be produced in HTT's Brendale, Australia plant. Using specially modified rail cars to transport the rails and crossties to the job site, the NTC precisely sets ties at predetermined spacing while distributing and installing the rail in a continuous operation, enabling crews to install new track many times faster than manual methods. The unit is expected to be deployed to the Tennant Creek / Alice Springs section. HTT's contract also includes maintenance services on the machine for the duration of the project.
Harsco Track Technologies is one of the largest and most comprehensive railroad track maintenance equipment and service organizations in the world, with facilities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. HTT manages and provides track maintenance services to major railroads, short lines, and transit systems worldwide, and is a single source for more than 140 types and models of work equipment used in the maintenance, renewal, and new construction of railway track.
Harsco Corporation provides market-leading industrial services and products to the worldwide infrastructure development, steel, railway transportation, gas and energy markets. The company employs more than 20,000 people in 40 countries of operation, and recorded 2000 revenues of $2 billion. Additional information about Harsco, including its Harsco Track Technologies division, can be found at www.harsco.com.