WILTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2004--GE Infrastructure, a unit of General Electric Company, announced today that the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will pilot GE's EntryScan3 walk-through explosives detector as part of its Transit and Rail Inspection Pilot (TRIP) program for screening rail passengers for explosives.
In a press conference at 12:00 noon EDT today, Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Rear Adm. David M. Stone, Acting Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration; and officials of AMTRAK, MARC, WMATA and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that TRIP will evaluate the use GE's EntryScan3 to screen passengers in a non-climate controlled environment. The pilot program of approximately 30 days is expected to yield important data on customer wait times and screening effectiveness, cost and impact on AMTRAK and MARC operations.
Amtrak and the Maryland Transit Administration's MARC commuter rail system will test the EntryScan3 at New Carrollton Train Station in New Carrollton, Md. The EntryScan3 is made by GE Ion Track, Inc., a subsidiary of GE Infrastructure Security.
In March, GE Infrastructure announced that, subject to regulatory approval, it had agreed to acquire InVision Technologies, a high technology provider of infrastructure security systems in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $900 million, or $50 per share. By combining InVision and GE Ion Track, GE will be able to provide a suite of complementary high-technology detection and security solutions to help protect airports and other mass transportation systems.
About EntryScan3
In April 2003, the TSA confirmed that the EntryScan3 completed and passed a laboratory detection test at the Transportation Security Laboratory (TSL) located at the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, NJ. Testing focused on detecting trace levels of substances on subjects.
The EntryScan3's patented sample collection system takes advantage of a natural airflow phenomenon called the "human convection plume." This eliminates the need for forced air from a fan, which would stir up contaminants, dirt and dust, and enables cleaner sample acquisition for higher detection sensitivity. This design also requires fewer moving parts resulting in quieter operation, reduced weight and improved long-term reliability.
EntryScan3 utilizes GE Ion Track's patented Ion Trap Mobility Spectrometer (ITMS(R)) technology, enabling its users to detect a wider range of contraband with unprecedented sensitivity. It achieves this through a proprietary ion "trap" that increases ionization efficiency, the main factor determining detection sensitivity. EntryScan3 is the only walk-through portal with versatile detection of both positive and negative ions, enabling the detection of the broadest spectrum of contraband in seconds.
About GE Infrastructure
GE Infrastructure (NYSE: GE) is a high-technology platform, comprised of some of GE's fastest-growing businesses. These global businesses offer a set of infrastructure protection and productivity solutions to some of the most pressing issues that industries face: pure water, safe facilities, plant automation and sensing applications in the operating environment. GE Ion Track, Inc. is a subsidiary of GE Security, Inc., part of GE Infrastructure. GE Infrastructure is headquartered in Wilton, CT. Learn more at www.geinfrastructure.com .
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CONTACT:
GE Infrastructure Security
Jim Bergen, 617-642-8802
or
GE Infrastructure
Jeff DeMarrais, 203-761-1935