I came across this interesting video that shows how united California is to get high speed rail stimulus funding in the US. On this video OCTA CEO Will Kempton, CHSRA Board Chairman Curt Pringle, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger talk about California´s application for the funding: Join discussion...

The Portuguese government will likely only take a final decision on advancing with planned high-speed rail links to Spain in October, after scheduled legislative elections, Public Works Minister Mário Lino said Tuesday. “The normal pace of things means that only in the next legislature, around October, will there be conditions, and not before, to sign the concession contract” for the first stretch of high-speed line from the Spanish border, Lino said. Join discussion...

On Thursday the bipartisan leadership of the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced its $500 billion blueprint for federal transportation programs over the next six years. In addition to creating new rail and transit subsidies, the proposal introduces new roadblocks for state looking to convert existing free roads into toll roads. Join discussion...

This summer, California officials will be vying against other states to get funding for a planned high-speed rail corridor that would ferry passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in a 2-hour, 40-minute trip. Voters approved $9 billion in bonds for the project in November -- and promoters hope the federal government and the private sector will kick in enough money to help them complete the $34-billion first phase. 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...

Europe's engineering and rail companies are lining up for some potentially lucrative U.S. contracts for high-speed rail projects. At stake is $13 billion in stimulus funds that the Obama administration is allocating to upgrade existing rail lines and build new ones that could one day rival Europe's fastest. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood traveled through Europe this week, riding France's 200 mile-per-hour bullet train, and meeting officials from several companies eager for U.S. orders. Join discussion...

For the last 20 years, high-speed rail has been little more than a gleam in the eye of U.S. train buffs and frustrated suppliers like Bombardier. The idea of a rail system featuring high-speed travel, modeled on those operating in Europe or Japan, has been kicked around since the 1980s. Join discussion...

USA: Public consultation hearings are taking place this week in California and Nevada into the Environmental Impact Statement for the privately-promoted DesertXpress high speed line linking the southern California region with Las Vegas. The meetings in Las Vegas, Victorville and Barstow follow approval of the Draft EIS by the Federal Railroad Administration on March 18. Join discussion...

The PPP Journal turns the spotlight onto the revamp of Spain's rail network, the potential for PPP procurement, and the wider benefits it can bring to the country in a global context. The global economic slowdown has forced every national government to look at the robustness of its finances and, in many cases, has prompted the introduction of new policies in an attempt to stave off the worst of the recession. For those trying to get the liquidity flowing in their economies, the PPP sector could have a significant role to play in terms of future projects. Spain, one of a number of major European countries grappling with the fiscal squeeze, could benefit from new stimulus packages, not only for new projects, but also for the future of the country's much vaunted high-speed rail project that plans to transform travel in the Iberian Peninsula by 2020. Join discussion...

This week, Obama will unveil his vision for high-speed rail in the United States after unexpectedly adding $8 billion to the economic stimulus package for high-speed train travel -- the biggest commitment of its kind ever made by the federal government. America is miles behind. In Japan, the bullet train can wisk passengers from one city to the next at nearly 200 miles an hour. It's the same on France's TGV train, where passengers can get from Paris to Lyon in a little less than two hours. A dozen countries around the world enjoy high-speed rail, but America is not one of them. Join discussion...