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.

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.

SOUTHERN California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) has become the first US operator to place an order for diesels meeting the latest US EPA Tier 4 emissions standards, after awarding Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) a contract to supply 20 F125 Spirit Locomotives.

WASHINGTON Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has placed a $US 184m order with Kawasaki Heavy Industries for 100 additional series 7000 metro cars, which will replace unreliable Breda series 4000 vehicles supplied in the 1990s.

METROPOLITAN Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) awarded the first of three-design-build contracts on May 14 for the second phase of the Washington DC Silver Line, which will extend the line from Wiehle Avenue in Reston to Washington Dulles International Airport and Ashburn.

SAN Diego Association of Governments (Sandag), the body responsible for public planning and transport in the San Diego area, launched public consultation on May 17 on the draft environmental report for the $US 1.7bn Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project, which will extend the city's light rail network north from Old Town along the Interstate 5 corridor.