THE governor of Maryland Mr Martin O'Malley and members of the state's Board of Public Works (BPW) have approved the Maryland Transit Administration's (MTA) plan to implement the construction of the Washington Purple Line as a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

DENVER Regional Transportation District (RTD) has selected a consortium led by Graham Contracting, Canada for a $US 343m design-and-build contract to construct the city's North Metro commuter line, which is a key component of RTD's FasTracks public transport programme.

THE first of 40 HSP46 diesel locomotives being supplied by Wabtec subsidiary MotivePower to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for use on commuter services around Boston has arrived at TTCI's test centre in Pueblo, Colorado, for testing.

MASSACHUSETTS Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has issued requests for proposals to replace the 44-year old trains on its Red Line and the 32-year old cars on its Orange Line at a cost of around $US 1.3bn.

AFTER signing the construction contract for the initial 47km Fresno – Madera section of the state's first high-speed line, California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has invited contractors to qualify to bid for the second construction phase of the Initial Operating Section (IOS) Stage 1.

KANSAS City has awarded a $US 22m contract to the US subsidiary of CAF, Spain, for four LRVs for operation on its initial 3.5km downtown streetcar line linking North Market with Union Station.

Railway Interchange 2013: Cummins has announced that its new QSK95 Tier-4 compliant engine will make its debut with Indiana Rail Road Company in an EMD SD90 locomotive currently being refurbished.

SERVICES on Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line - the busiest commuter rail line in the United States – have been severely disrupted following the severing of a traction power cable on September 25.

OKLAHOMA City and San Antonio, Texas, moved a step closer to starting construction on their first tram lines on September 24 after projects in both cities were approved in crucial ballots.

Having won its first contract for LRVs in North America earlier this year, Alstom has high hopes of winning more business. Guillaume Mehlman, president of Alstom Transport North America, explained his strategy and some of the nuances of this market to David Briginshaw.