CALIFORNIA High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) officials have admitted that construction work on the first phase of the state's planned high-speed rail network will not begin this autumn as previously envisaged.

SAUDI Public Investment Fund, which is responsible for funding the construction of the 950km railway between the Red Sea port of Jeddah and the capital Riyadh to create a coast-to-coast landbridge, has awarded an eight-year contract consultancy contract to Fluor Corporation and Parsons Brinckerhoff.

ANSALDOBREDA has reacted to Netherlands Railways (NS) decision to cancel its order for 16 V250 high-speed trains by arguing that the operator failed to correctly implement a recovery plan for introduction of the fleet.

SAN DIEGO Association of Governments (Sandag) has launched the final phase of a major project to modernise the Blue Line, the oldest part of the city's light rail network, which opened in 1981.

BRITISH mining company Beacon Hill Resources has been granted a 7.7% capacity allocation on Mozambique's Sena Line, which will allow it to transport coking and thermal coal from the Moatize Basin in Tete province to the Indian Ocean port of Beira.

THE restoration of the war-damaged railway network in northern Sri Lanka reached another milestone on September 14, when the country's president Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated the 63km section of the Madawachchi – Kankesanturai line between Omanthai and Kilinochchi, 23 years after the last trains ran.

NEW YORK Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has placed a $US 1.8bn order with Kawasaki for an initial batch of 92 two-car M-9 emus for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) as part of a framework deal which includes options for up to 584 additional sets for both LIRR and Metro-North.

SAMSUNG C&T has subcontracted the construction of the heavy-haul rail link to the new Roy Hill iron-ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to John Holland in a deal worth $A 257m ($US 240m).

FOLLOWING three months of test operation, passenger services began on Xi'an metro Line 1 on September 15.

STOCKHOLM Traffic Management (TF) has awarded Ballast Nedam, Netherlands, a contract to supply a de-icing system, which will be used to keep the Stockholm Local Transport (SL) suburban train fleet ice-free during the winter.