Even as Chinese president Hu Jintao was telling an audience in Beijing that the government will stick to the path of socialism on October 1, a quite capitalistic revolution was taking place in distant Sanxi province in north China. The first-ever private railway project began construction on the 60th anniversary of the Communist revolution. It may seem like a modest beginning for the project’s private owners but the business focus is clear as the project will link coal mines of Sanxi. Join discussion...

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Chang Chiu-chun, vice minister of transportation and communications, denied yesterday the government will take over the High Speed Rail Corporation, which offers Taiwan's bullet train service. Join discussion...

Malaysia’s Giant Group has asked the central province of Quang Tri for a permit to survey, design and build a 95-km railway section that links Dong Ha city to Lao Bao on the Vietnam-Laos borderline. Join discussion...

High-speed rail is moving ahead at high speed in Europe. Railroads there keep adding lines and increasing service, while in the United States we keep fretting about the need for better transportation but do little about it. If you're heading for Europe in 2009, you can try out several new lines, and additional lines will open by summer. Join discussion...

Calif., Nov 07, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Please substitute the attached Business Plan Summary with the following corrected version. This clarifies that the revenue estimates apply to the LA/Anaheim to SF backbone of the system. This clarification applies only to the Summary, not to the Business Plan or the news release, both of which are correct. Join discussion...

Voters in California this week agreed to bankroll a multi-billion dollar high-speed railway system, with technology to come from either Japan or Europe. The California High-Speed Rail Authority said on its website Tuesday that voters in a referendum held across the state Tuesday gave their backing to financing the startup of the project. Join discussion...

Senators John F. Kerry and Arlen Specter introduced a bill today to fund high-speed rail lines along the East Coast and in several other key areas of the country. Join discussion...

Two transit initiatives in California won approval from voters on Election Day. Approved was the nation’s first high-speed rail system and a sales tax increase for transportation work. By a margin of 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent, voters endorsed Proposition 1A on the statewide ballot to use nearly $10 billion in bonds that are intended to help reduce congestion. The bonds will be used to help pay for a $45 billion transit system that will include a 200 mph “bullet train” that could go from San Francisco to Los Angeles in about two and one-half hours Join discussion...

Three private consortiums with broad experience in designing and constructing passenger-rail systems have expressed interest in forming a public-private partnership with RTD to build the DIA and Gold Line commuter trains. The Regional Transportation District is hoping that such a PPP, as it is called, will help bail out the financially strapped FasTracks program by bringing at least $1 billion in private financing. Join discussion...

ASCIANO has been chosen as preferred bidder for a $7 billion project in Saudi Arabia, as part of a consortium member of the so-called Tarabot group. Asciano shares rose as much as 5 per cent in morning trading after the company said it had been chosen in the consortium, involving seven Saudi Arabian partners, as preferred bidder to build the Saudi Landbridge project. Join discussion...