The agreement will focus collaboration on technical areas where both organizations share strong interests, such as systems integration, safety performance and innovations that support the decarbonization of rail transportation, including advances in hydrogen and battery powered traction.
MxV Rail, formerly Transportation Technology Center (TTCI), is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads and was established to support the development and safe deployment of innovative technologies to increase the safety, reliability and efficiency of the railroad industry.
The MxV Rail team offers a full suite of advisory and research services, including testing, research, consulting, maintaining standards and training, and is currently forging new partnerships to support the growing engineering and testing needs of the US and global transit rail market.
It is also in the process of relocating operations to new facilities in Pueblo, Colorado, that will provide an improved capacity to streamline project management, control costs and expand offerings to suit the ever-evolving needs of the industry.
Following recent appointments to support Metrolinx in Ontario and skyTran in California, Ricardo has rapidly built a strong foothold in the North American market. With this new partnership, the team hopes to open new opportunities for its assurance and technical consultancy services.
“MxV Rail is a highly regarded organization that is renowned for its specialist technical expertise,” said Kirk Klug, Ricardo’s director of business development, rail, US. “The new facility in Pueblo County will be a world-class base that exemplifies its commitment to investing in its future capabilities. MxV is the perfect partner with which to develop new services, tools and assurance plans and we look forward to building an ever-stronger relationship.”
Kari Gonzales, President, MxV Rail, added, “Our alliance with Ricardo is built on shared principles around technical competency, rigorous standards, and insightful responses leading to real-world solutions in a dynamic rail environment. Both organizations share a strong ethos of responding to the challenges faced by clients with viable, practical solutions. Together, we can contribute to the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the global rail network.”