Harsco Corp.’s Protran Technology unit, part of the Harsco Rail division, announced new orders from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Calif.’s Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) 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.

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 WMATA and RT join a growing list of 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, sr. director, Protran Technology. “Our mission is to develop and deploy best in class technology that can help keep potential accidents from happening.”