A ground-breaking ceremony was held on August 28 by the Purple Line Transit Partners joint venture to mark the start of construction of the 25.7km Purple Line light rail project in Maryland, United States.
EARLY works have started at the site of the new Woolloongabba station on the $A5.4bn ($US 4.27bn) Cross River rail project in Brisbane, which is being entirely funded by the Queensland government following its failure to obtain federal funds.
THE Bangladesh cabinet approved the awarded of contracts on August 23 for lots 1 and 2 for the construction of a 108km dual-gauge single-track railway linking Dohazari and Cox’s Bazar to two Chinese joint ventures, as they were the lowest bidders.
THE Iranian city of Shiraz opened an extension to Line 1 of the city’s metro on August 22 in the presence of Iran’s minister of state, Dr Rahmani Fazli.
THE first train ran on Israel’s new 57km A1 line linking Tel Aviv with Jerusalem on August 20 from from Tel-Aviv to the end of the Latrun bridge which is now the longest bridge in Israel.
TRIAL operation began on August 19 on the first 19.6km section of metro Line 2 in Nanchang, China, from Metro Central south to Nanlu.
THE proposal to build a transcontinental railway linking Brazil and Peru - the Bi-oceanic Railway - has hit a stumbling block on the choice of the best route through Peru.
TURKEY’s transport, maritime affairs and communications minister Mr Ahmet Arslan says that the long-delayed second phase of the Marmaray project in Istanbul will now be completed next year.
THE Thai cabinet has approved a Baht 101bn ($US 3bn) project to double the length of the Purple Line of the Bangkok metro by adding 23.6km from Tao Poon south to Rat Burana.
BRITAIN’s secretary of state for transport Mr Chris Grayling announced on July 17 that civil works contracts worth £6.6bn have been awarded for three sections of the £22.2bn Phase 1 London - Birmingham - Lichfield HS2 high-speed project.
