Harsco’s Protran Technology Unit to Equip Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, CA Metro Networks With Enhanced Track Worker Safety Protection

CAMP HILL, Pa., Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Harsco Corporation’s Protran Technology unit, part of the Harsco Rail division, announced today new orders from the regional transit districts serving Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, CA to install enhanced safety systems that alert railway track workers on the ground before trains enter their work zones.  The orders are scheduled for delivery through the end of this year.  Terms were not disclosed.

The installations will include Protran’s Enhanced Employee Protection System, the first of its kind in the railway safety industry to incorporate three-way communication among track workers, train operators and dispatchers in the central office.  With the Protran system, all three parties are automatically alerted when a train is approaching a designated work zone, giving workers as well as train operators an added layer of accident protection not found in other systems.

These latest orders from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the Sacramento Regional Transit District join a growing list of Protran customers nationwide – including some 25 metropolitan transit networks – who have selected Protran safety equipment for their track workers as well as vehicle fleets.

“We’re excited to be leading our industry with products that protect personal safety,” said Jim Resio, Senior Director of Protran Technology.  “Our mission is to develop and deploy best in class technology that can help keep potential accidents from happening.”

In addition to railway worker safety, Protran also produces safety equipment for the urban transit industry.  Protran’s Safe Turn Alert system incorporates an audible warning message as well as flashing LED strobe lights to warn pedestrians from stepping off the curb whenever an approaching bus is about to turn the corner.  Protran’s system has already been installed on over 5,000 buses at transit agencies across the country, helping to address a critical need particularly in highly-congested urban areas where ambient noise and sight distractions are commonplace.  The Amalgamated Transit Union, the largest union representing transit workers in North America, estimates that roughly one pedestrian per week is killed by a transit bus in the United States. 

For more information about Protran Technology and its growing array of safety-related systems, visit www.protrantechnology.com.

About Harsco Corporation
Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) is a diversified industrial company providing a range of onsite services and engineered products to basic industries that support economic growth and infrastructure development, including steel, energy and railways.  Harsco’s common stock is a component of the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and the Russell 2000 Index.  Additional information can be found at www.harsco.com.