HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Worldwide industrial services and products company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) announced today that its Harsco Track Technologies (HTT) railway track maintenance division has launched a new track ballast cleaning service that the division expects could lead to additional customer orders and future new contract service revenues in the millions of dollars per year.
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The first contract has been signed with Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) and involves HTT's innovative "Mud Mantis," a new-generation switch undercutting and ballast cleaning machine developed with FECR that not only removes stone ballast from both sides of the roadbed and under the ties but can also reclaim ballast for reuse through an on-board screening process and return it to the track. This feature is expected to save significant costs for railroad customers as they can now substantially reduce the amount of old ballast hauled away for disposal and also purchase far less replacement ballast, a factor which also reduces the expense of transporting and distributing that ballast to the track site. HTT's services under the contract include the supply of equipment, operators, maintenance, and repair parts.
According to Robert Newman, Harsco Track Technologies division president, interest from other railways is already being seen. "Word of this remarkable machine is spreading through the market," said Newman. "Significant interest is being expressed by a number of domestic and international customers, including several who have scheduled first-hand visits to view the Mud Mantis in operation."
Florida East Coast Railway, a subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (NYSE:FLA), is a regional freight railroad that operates 351 miles of main line track from Jacksonville to Miami and provides intermodal drayage services throughout the Southeast with terminals located in Atlanta, Jacksonville and Miami. FECR has connecting carrier alliances which serve Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, Chicago, New York/New Jersey and Baltimore. For more information, visit the company website at www.fecrwy.com.
Harsco Track Technologies is North America's largest provider of railway track maintenance services and equipment and the second largest in the world, serving as a primary specialist for over 140 types and models of work equipment used in the maintenance, renewal, and new construction of railway track.
Harsco Corporation is a $2.5 billion diversified industrial services and engineered products company whose market-leading businesses provide mill services, access services, engineered products and services, and gas containment and control technologies to customers worldwide. The company employs approximately 18,500 people in more than 40 countries of operation. Additional information about Harsco, including its Harsco Track Technologies division, can be found at www.harsco.com.
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