THE Port Authority of New York/New Jersey Board of Commissioners announced on January 6 a $US 32bn draft 2017-2026 capital investment plan for public comment and review.

A federal grant and loan totalling nearly $US 1.5bn to help build the second phase of the Metro Purple Line Extension to downtown Beverly Hills and Century City was announced Jan. 5 by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA).

WABTEC announced on December 20 that it has acquired engineered freight car components supplier Workhorse Rail, United States.

SMBC Rail Services, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitusi Banking Corporation, has agreed to acquire American Railcar Leasing, the sixth largest wagon leasing company in the United States with a fleet of 34,300.

CALIFORNIA High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on December 16 for a contract to manage initial operation of its high-speed rail network.

INCREASING capacity through track quadrupling most sections and upping the frequency of regional and inter-city trains is at the heart of the United States’ Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) new recommended vision for the Northeast Corridor (NEC) released on December 16.

MIAMI Beach commissioners voted unanimously on December 14 to delay the city’s $US 244m light rail project to await confirmation of plans for the Biscayne Bay Link transit connection between Miami and Miami Beach.

MASSACHUSETTS Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board voted on December 12 to order 120 additional metro cars from CRRC Corporation subsidiary CRRC MA at a cost of $US 280m.

VOSSLOH announced on December 5 that it has signed an agreement to acquire North American rail infrastructure company Rocla Concrete Tie for $US 117.2m at the beginning of 2017 subject to merger control clearances.

A ground breaking ceremony was held in California on November 29 for the $US 700m five-year first phase of the 40-year $US 6bn North Coast Corridor (NCC) infrastructure improvement project.