HDR, Amtrak, congatec: High-Speed Rail & Tech Advances in US, Canada, Germany

Introduction

HDR has appointed Anna Lynn Smith to head its intercity and high-speed rail practice, focusing on strategy, client engagement, and market positioning within the U.S. and Canadian markets.

HDR Appointment

Anna Lynn Smith will lead HDR’s intercity and high-speed rail practice. Her responsibilities will include overseeing strategy, client engagement, and market positioning, primarily within the U.S. and Canadian markets. Smith brings over 30 years of experience in multimodal infrastructure strategies to the role.

Smith’s Previous Experience

Prior to rejoining HDR, Smith served as vice president of planning and strategy at Amtrak. In this role, she directed the passenger railroad’s long-range, five-year, and annual initiatives. Before her position at Amtrak, Smith worked on and led intercity passenger-rail projects at HDR.

congatec’s Environmental Testing

congatec has finished IEC 60068 testing for environmental sustainability on its conga-TC675r COM Express Compact Type 6 module. This application-ready embedded module is designed for various applications, including autonomous vehicles, mobile robots, critical infrastructure, industrial Internet of Things, wayside installations, and mission-critical systems.

Module Specifications and Applications

The conga-TC675r modules, developed by congatec, a Germany-based computing technology company, are based on the 13th generation Intel Core processors. They feature extended temperature control, soldered RAM with in-band IBEFF, and operational readiness in 10% to 85% humidity environments. These specifications enable the modules to be utilized in both manned and unmanned rail equipment. The conga-TC675r also meets the railroad industry’s shock and vibration testing requirements, with the IEC 60068 standard being an international benchmark for environmental sustainability testing.

Conclusion

HDR has appointed Anna Lynn Smith to lead its intercity and high-speed rail practice, and congatec has completed environmental sustainability testing on its conga-TC675r module.

Company Summary

HDR: A firm that hired Anna Lynn Smith to lead its intercity and high-speed rail practice.

Amtrak: The passenger railroad where Smith served as vice president of planning and strategy.

congatec: A Germany-based computing technology company that developed the conga-TC675r COM Express Compact Type 6 module.

Technology

COM Express Compact Type 6 module: An application-ready embedded module developed by congatec for various applications, including autonomous vehicles, mobile robots, and wayside installations.

IEC 60068: An international standard for environmental sustainability testing, which congatec used for its module.