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Williams Controls Subsidiary Awarded Contract by Chicago Commuter Rail Line for GPS Tracking SystemPortland, Oregon, July 13—Williams Controls, Inc. (Nasdaq: WMCO) today announced that its GeoFocus subsidiary has been awarded a contract to install its train tracking and information system on the third largest commuter rail system in America. The company's TrainTrac™ system will be installed on the Chicago Metra Commuter Rail System, which operates over 546 route miles of track and serves over 14 million passenger trips per year. The initial contract calls for the TrainTrac system to be installed on two of Metra's 11 major train routes. The completion of this initial phase is scheduled for the end of November and is valued at approximately $800,000. "This is our second installation of this system in the United States," said Thomas W. Itin, chairman and chief executive officer of Williams Controls. "The first system, for the Tri-County Commuter Rail Authority in South Florida, was completed in 1998 and had an initial phase and two add-on contracts as part of the total system. The Metra system has 10 times the amount of route miles and 20 times the number of trains per day as does the Tri-Rail system, so it is a very significant contract for us." "We competed against the major players in the industry and believe we won the contract because we offered a proven system, based on our Tri-Rail experience, with exceptional capabilities compared to the system's cost," stated Mr. Itin. "Chicago Metra is very progressive in terms of addressing the needs of its riders, and winning a contract from the third largest commuter train system in the country lends tremendous credibility to our efforts to roll this technology out to major train systems throughout North America." The TrainTrac system uses Global Positioning System (GPS) data to provide information to train passengers and improve scheduling capabilities for the rail system. The system is also capable of providing safety information such as the relative position of trains, optimal routing of emergency vehicles in case of problems on the track, and the sending of emergency messages to and from train crews, as a supplement to the rail system's existing safety procedures. The system will allow for real-time updates to the passenger message boards based on the GPS data that is continuously collected by the system. The Metra system will include new audio and visual passenger notification systems on board the trains that utilize wireless communication technology. The onboard systems will allow messages to be delivered on an automated basis or at the discretion of the central dispatch system or train conductors, for such things as estimated time of arrival at the next train platform, expected delays, general information, or advertising messages. "Our customized approach to solving the customer's problems was a major factor in being selected for this contract," stated Ronald C. Velat, vice president and general manager of Williams' GeoFocus subsidiary. "While other providers offered a more standardized product offering, GeoFocus demonstrated its flexibility in addressing the specific customer service and delivery issues that Chicago Metra faced." According to Mr. Velat, the TrainTrac system has potential applications with any rail, bus, truck, marine or fleet vehicle system in the world. Williams Controls is a manufacturer and integrator of sensors, controls and communications systems for the transportation and communication industries. For more information, you can find the company at www.wmco.com. For further information contact |
