Fort Worth, Texas (July 20, 2016) – Rio Grande Pacific Corporation (RGPC), a privately-held railroad holding company operating four short lines in six states, and its wholly-owned subsidiary CTC, Inc. (CTC), a provider of signaling, communications, and train control systems, products and services to the rail industry, together announced today the successful collaboration with First Transit, Inc. in the award of the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contract from Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA).
First Transit, the North American arm of UK-based FirstGroup plc and one of the largest private sector providers of public transit management and contracting in the U.S., will serve as the prime contractor. Fort Worth-based RGPC and CTC will support First as service partners and provide dispatching, maintenance of way and signaling services. The new contract, which runs for nine years with an additional five-year option, begins on October 1.
“When this procurement was released, First committed to providing DCTA with the finest coalition of local service partners whose expertise is recognized and experience is respected. RGPC and CTC are essential components for the success of our team,” said Gregg Baxter, vice president, rail. “We’re delighted DCTA chose to award this contract to our team. We look forward to many years of partnership with RGPC and CTC as we provide DCTA and its riders with the quality service our customers across the globe have come to expect.”
This subcontract represents a major milestone for RGPC. The firm currently provides primary and backup third party dispatching for 10 shortline railroads traversing more than 2,000 miles of track, all from its Fort Worth headquarters. “The addition of DCTA’s commuter line provides a nice complement to our growing portfolio of dispatching partnerships,” said Robert Bach, president. In addition to dispatching services, RGPC will support First and DCTA with maintenance of way (MOW) activities.
For its role, CTC will oversee the operation and maintenance of the A-train’s complex signaling systems and highway-rail grade crossings, as well as the implementation of federally mandated positive train control (PTC). The Fort Worth engineering firm has prior experience working with DCTA, as it was tapped to provide signal systems enhancements to the 21-mile commuter line last fall. “CTC and DCTA have a tremendously positive relationship, and we’re looking forward to growing that relationship over the next decade,” said Kurt Anderson, senior vice president. “The collaboration between First, RGPC and CTC is dynamic. I couldn’t think of a partnership better suited to serve DCTA’s needs than the one led by this team.”