UNITED States Federal Transit Administrator Mr Peter Rogoff and North Carolina governor Mr Patrick McCrory attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Charlotte on July 18 to mark the start of construction on the city's light rail Lynx Blue Line extension.
THE Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA) has released a business plan laying the groundwork for a regional passenger rail corridor linking Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago via Fort Wayne and Warsaw, Indiana.
THE LAUNCH of construction on the extension of the Los Angeles Metrolink commuter rail network to Moreno Valley and Perris has moved a step closer after a local environmental group dropped its lawsuit against the $US 232.7m project.
WATERLOO (Ontario) Regional Council has formally approved an agreement in coordination with Greater Toronto and Hamilton transit authority Metrolinx to acquire 14 low-floor LRVs from Bombardier.
THE governor of Maryland Mr Martin O'Malley announced on July 8 that the state will commit $US 280m for design work and land acquisition on the Washington DC Purple Line LRT project as part of a $US 650m transport funding package for Prince George's County.
THE United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has issued a tender for a project to evaluate rail project opportunities in Mexico with the aim of supporting the development of Mexico's railfreight network, leaving the Ministry of Transport and Communications (SCT) to concentrate on passenger rail projects.
MASSACHUSETTS Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has exercised an option worth around $US 70m with Wabtec subsidiary MotivePower for an additional 13 HSP46 diesel locomotives, which will be used on commuter rail services in the Boston area.
PLANS to extend Amtrak California Capitol Corridor services south from San Jose have received a boost after California Transport Commission approved a $US 18.1m investment in track improvements on the line to Salinas.
THE Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) has voted unanimously in favour of implementing new crashworthiness standards for high-speed trains that will operate in the United States.
CALIFORNIA High Speed Rail Authority's (CHSRA) board unanimously approved a $US 985.1m bid from a California-based joint venture of Tutor Perini, Zachary and Parsons on June 7 to carry out civil works on the inaugural 48.3km Madera - Fresno section of the state's high-speed railway network.