Patrick Allen Joins HNTB’s Rail Systems Team as Manager of Vehicle Solutions
Patrick Allen, PE, joined HNTB Corporation’s national rail systems team as manager of vehicle and rolling stock products, which include locomotives, passenger cars and other rolling components of rail systems. He is based in the firm’s Boston office and works with clients nationwide.
Allen has more than a decade of experience in engineering and project management focused on freight rail and transit vehicles. He has a diverse skill set leveraging both technical and business acumen, and specializes in delivering complex and time-sensitive projects. He brings experience in structural design, operations, commissioning, fitness-for-service assessments, reliability, research and specification development.
“Patrick supports existing rail projects and helps expand HNTB’s vehicles and rolling stock capabilities nationally for transit and rail clients, with particular focus on integration of PTC as well as communications-based train control systems into rolling stock, as the 2018 federal Positive Train Control deadline approaches,” said Ian Choudri, HNTB national rail and transit business development director and senior vice president.
Currently, Allen is providing support on North County Transit District’s PTC project for Coaster commuter rail in Southern California. Prior to joining HNTB, Allen worked on several high-profile rail projects, including an overhaul of 106 bi-level commuter rail coaches for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the construction of the CapeFlyer Café Car for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Allen earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has completed numerous certification and training programs, including the GE Edison Engineering Development Program and the GE Foundations of Leadership course. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Massachusetts.
PTC is a train control technology intended to prevent train-to-train collisions, overspeed derailments, incursions into established work zone limits, and the movement of a train through misaligned track switches. In late 2015, Congress extended the deadline for implementation to Dec. 31, 2018. HNTB is providing a range of planning, design, implementation and support activities on PTC projects in an advisory capacity nationally and for transit agencies around the country.
HNTB’s PTC projects include RTD (Denver); Brightline express passenger rail service between Miami and Orlando; Central Florida Rail Corridor/SunRail; New Jersey Transit; and Sound Transit (Seattle) among others. Work being performed includes signal engineering, rail-highway grade crossing systems, communication engineering, safety engineering, quality assurance and project management.
