HARRISBURG, Pa., April 26, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Worldwide industrial services and products company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) announced today that its Harsco Track Technologies (HTT) division has received new orders from Northern Ireland and Portugal for railway track maintenance services and equipment. The orders, the division's first from both countries, further extend the company's international market penetration and growing European presence. Terms were not disclosed.
In Northern Ireland, Harsco Track Technologies has been selected to support a 14 million (British Pound) (approximately $20 million) project to re-lay some 24 miles of mainline passenger track between Belfast and Bangor. HTT's service responsibilities will include the operation of its Model NTC New Track Construction Machine, a self-contained mobile track-laying train that precisely installs and aligns new track in a continuous operation up to four times faster than conventional methods. The project, one of several being planned for the modernization of the Northern Ireland Railways system, is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by year-end.
Portugal's order marks HTT's first international sale of its high-performance, variable gauge Track Stabilizer. The unit restores track stability by transmitting lateral vibrations through the track while applying up to 27 tons of downward pressure, effectively re-settling the track into the supporting roadbed. The unit will be built to specific European rail system operating standards for use in maintaining Portugal's national rail system, Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses, EP, which comprises nearly 2,000 miles of track.
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 US, UK, and Australia. HTT manages and provides track maintenance services to major railroads, short lines, and transit systems, and is a single source for over 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 major worldwide industries, including infrastructure development, steel, railway transportation, gas and energy. The company employs more than 20,000 people in 38 countries, and recorded 2000 revenues of $2 billion. Additional information about Harsco, including its Harsco Track Technologies division, can be found at www.harsco.com.