Axion International Secures Purchase Order from Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)

Axion International Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: AXIH), a next-generation technology innovator utilizing recycled plastic for high-load industrial products, today announced the receipt of the Company’s first-ever purchase order for "switch-set” crossties from Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). BART operates five lines on 104 miles of track throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and is the fifth busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in the U.S. "Switch-set” crossties are elongated crossties that are used where variable lengths are required to accommodate tracks coming into and out of switch locations.

Because of their required lengths, which can sometimes stretch to 25 feet, switch-set crossties have traditionally been made from either wood or concrete. Due to their lengths, the weight and threat of cracking (for concrete) and the desire to reduce dependence on hardwoods treated with creosote, Axion’s switch-sets represent an economic and ecological advantage for rail companies.

"This order cuts to the core of what makes Axion’s recycled structural composite solutions so attractive to customers on a variety of levels,” said James Kerstein, Chief Executive Officer. "Rail customers are looking for economic solutions for their needs, but they’re also looking for environmentally sustainable and practical solutions. Axion’s RSC (Recycled Structural Composites) are made from nearly 100% recycled consumer and industrial waste plastics and can be manufactured in varying lengths and thicknesses. When the choice is between a brittle and expensive solution like concrete or an expensive hardwood that depletes valuable natural recourses – and threatens eco-fragile environments – Axion’s RSC products offer a logical and economical solution.”

Axion’s RSC has been used in multiple rail applications with more than 100,000 Axion formulated crossties installed to date, and more than 1.5 billion tons of cargo accumulated on Axion formulation ties at the American Association of Railroad’s test track facility in Pueblo, CO. Axion has produced and sold crossties in many configurations, solving cost and environmental concerns for customers with varying track gauges.

"We are very proud to count BART as our newest customer, and we look forward to our switch-set crosstie solutions finding additional uses with other rail companies,” added Mr. Kerstein. "We continue to explore new opportunities and to seek new ways to solve customers’ challenges. The expense and replacement costs associated with concrete and hardwood solutions are something our customers recognize as formidable challenges. And no one wants to deplete environmentally critical tropical rain forests. Our products require virtually no maintenance, have no environmentally damaging coatings or protection, and can be installed at costs competitive with the alternatives. We anticipate tremendous growth in this segment of our business.”

Axion recently announced the expansion of their business into the railroad bridge-building business. Having completed two bridges at Ft. Bragg, NC, in 2009, capable of supporting the weight of 70-ton M-1 tanks, the Company announced in Q1 of this year that their RSC products were being used in the construction of two railroad bridges at the Army Transportation Corps’ base at Ft. Eustis, VA. These bridges are being built using Axion’s RSC formulations for their pilings, bulkheads, I-beams, decking, supports and crossties. The only things not made out of recycled plastic on these bridges are galvanized bolts and other connectors, along with the actual rails the trains will travel on. According to a study conducted by The US Army Corps of Engineers, a similar bridge built over twelve years ago using one of Axion’s formulations at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, has required virtually no maintenance and retains its as-new appearance.

About Axion International

Axion International is a leading structural solution provider of cost-effective alternative infrastructure and building products. The Company’s "green" proprietary technologies allow for the development and manufacture of innovative structural products made from virtually 100% recycled consumer and industrial plastics. Axion's up-cycled products are an economic and sustainable alternative to traditional building materials such as wood, steel or concrete. Developed in collaboration with scientists at Rutgers University, Axion's patented technologies allow for products that are extremely strong, durable, flexible in design, and low maintenance.

For additional information, please visit Axion’s corporate website:
www.axionintl.com

About Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)

The BART story began in 1946. It began not by government fiat, but as a concept gradually evolving at informal gatherings of business and civic leaders on both sides of the San Francisco Bay, Facing heavy post-war migration to the area and its subsequent automobile boom, pressure for a traffic solution increased with the population. Since 1911, visionaries had periodically brought up this Jules Verne concept. In 1957, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission advised that any transportation plan be coordinated with the area’s total plan for future development. After many twists and turns, hundreds of local meetings to generate community involvement, and unforeseen litigation, a ballet measure to fund BART passed in 1962. BART construction began on June 19, 1964 with President Lyndon Johnson presiding over the ground-breaking ceremonies. In charge of the construction management, overall design of system facilities, equipment and monitoring of BART’s major contractors, were the District’s General Engineering consultants, Parsons-Brinckerhoff-Tudor-Bechtel. A joint venture enterprise formed to manage all technical, as well as construction aspects of the BART project. Through this joint venture, the firms supplied (or recruited from the U. S. and abroad) the most impressive array of engineering talent ever assembled for a single public works project.

During subway excavations, fascinating discoveries were made rich with buried ships and other memorabilia providing a look back into nineteenth century San Francisco when the land-fill of lower Market Street and the Embarcadero was still open harbor. The huge construction effort reached its peak in 1969 with a contractor force of 5,000 working on the San Francisco subway and other parts of the system, the weekly payroll was more than $1 million. Meanwhile, a truly great chapter was written in the history of civil engineering with the completion of the transbay tube structure in August, 1969. Constructed in 57 sections, and reposing on the bay floor as deep as 135 feet beneath the surface, the remarkable $180 million structure took six years of toil and seismic studies to design, and less than three years to contract. Before it was closed to visitors for the installation of tracks and electrification, many thousands of adventurous people walked, jogged, and bicycled through the tube. It received a dozen major engineering awards and rapidly became famous, seeming to capture the imagination of visitors from all over the world.

At the time of its official opening, September 11, 1972, approximately $1.6 billion had been invested in the system. Remarkably, only 20% was funded by federal aid. (If BART were being built today, 80 percent of its capital costs could be federally funded under the U. S. Urban Mass Transportation Assistance Act of 1974.)

BART connects the San Francisco Peninsula with Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Walnut Creek, Dublin/Pleasanton and other cities in the East Bay. BART comprises 104 miles (167 km) of track and 43 stations. The system uses 5 ft 6 in broad gauge rail (1,676 mm) as opposed to the 4 ft 8¹/₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge predominantly found in railroad systems in the United States. This is the only transit system in the United States using this gauge. Trains can achieve a centrally-controlled maximum speed of 80 mph (130 km/h) and provide a system-wide average speed of 33 mph (53 km/h) with twenty-second station stopping times (dwell times).

For additional information, please visit:
www.bart.gov

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission's "safe harbor" provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause Axion’s actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated, including the risk factors identified in Axion’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.