Vancouver, British Columbia – April 26, 2002 – Carmanah Technologies Corporation (CMH – TSX Venture Exchange) is pleased to announce that that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Carmanah Technologies Inc. (“Carmanah”), has officially launched the railway industry’s first line of solar-powered LED (light emitting diode) lighting products for hazard marking applications. Designed to meet U.S. Federal Railway Administration blue light legislation, Carmanah Railway Lights can be installed in minutes and do not require any maintenance or servicing for their entire life span of up to five years.
“There is a real need for our type of product in the railway industry”, says Art Aylesworth, C.E.O. of Carmanah. “Recent statistics issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that in the year 2000 there were over 1,600 yard switching accidents in the United States alone. Rail Yards are hazardous working environments and our technology offers the railway industry a new form of reliable, cost-effective blue signal protection.”
The North American railway supply market is extensive, with more than $20 billion in equipment supplies and services purchased on an annual basis. Evaluation lights and initial orders for Carmanah Railway Lights have now been shipped to many of the class one and short line railroad corporations, including Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and CSX Railroad.
Carmanah’s next-generation lighting offers other attractive benefits for the railway industry. “One of the biggest advantages of our hazard markers is that they can pay for themselves within months of installation through savings in the labour costs of maintenance and servicing, as well as the replacement costs of batteries and incandescent bulbs”, states Mr. Aylesworth. “In addition, the unique, patented design of our products are also ideally suited to withstand the rigors of use in a rail yard – our 500 Series model, for example, is nearly indestructible.”
In support of its railway lighting products, Carmanah has also recently launched a new web site www.railwaylights.com dedicated to hazard marker lighting for the North American railway industry.
About Carmanah Technologies Inc.
Carmanah specializes in the design, manufacture and supply of patented, proprietary solar-powered LED lighting solutions for marine, roadway and railway markets. Established in 1996 and headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, the company currently has distributors in over 80 countries worldwide and approximately 32,000 lights installed to-date. The shares of Carmanah Technologies Corporation (parent company) are publicly traded on the Canadian Venture Exchange under the symbol “CMH”. For further information on the company’s products and services visit www.carmanah.com.
The Canadian Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors,
Carmanah Technologies Corporation
“Praveen Varshney”
Praveen Varshney
Director
For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations:
Mr. Praveen Varshney, Director
or Mr. Aly Mawji, Corporate Communications
Carmanah Technologies Corporation
1304-925 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 3L2
Telephone: (604) 629-0264
Toll-Free: 1-866-629-0264
E-mail: investors@carmanah.com
Media Relations:
Mr. David Davies
Harbourwerks Communications
Telephone: (250) 382-4332
E-mail: ddavies@harbourwerks.com