It was originally supposed to open twelve days from now, but Vancouver’s Canada Line has already racked up millions of rides since it commenced operations in mid-August — and it’s now carrying almost 100,000 people a day on average. The 12-mile automated light metro, which was built at a cost of C$2 billion, was one of the first major works of transit infrastructure built with the help of a public-private partnership (PPP) in North America Join discussion...

The Thai government is targeting a bigger role for the private sector in boosting economic growth, raising the value of projects it expects to finance in partnership with private investors to 10% of its THB1.43 trillion ($43.07 billion) investment budget from the currently planned 2%, a senior finance ministry official said Wednesday. Join discussion...

Imagine driving Arizona highways that alert motorists of a traffic jam before it forms, or over bridges that report when they're cracking, or on people-moving innovations that make you proud of your state government. Countries around the globe and even state and municipal entities in America are using those innovations. Arizona is not. Join discussion...

MEED reported that Abu Dhabi Airports Company will develop its USD 6.8 billion midfield terminal project at Abu Dhabi International airport as a construction contract rather than a build operate transfer deal as originally planned. Join discussion...

To cut red tape in the process of obtaining approvals for highway projects, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed that the B K Chaturvedi Committee do away with the system of mandatory approval of the Private-Public Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) before tendering of a project. Join discussion...

The Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) has granted approval to eight more PPP projects, estimated to cost a total of around Rs10,883.89 crore. The 28th PPPAC meeting, chaired by finance secretary, on 16 October, granted approval to eight more projects of the ministry of road transport and highways, spread across three states. The projects included the following: Join discussion...

Gov. Bev Perdue announced Monday an innovative public-private partnership — the first of its kind in North Carolina history — designed to accelerate completion of the conflict-ridden Interstate 485 outer loop in Charlotte. The new funding strategy, unveiled at a press conference by Perdue and N.C. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti, combines public and private resources to build a new interchange and connect the only unfinished portion of the highway between NC 115 and I-85. The estimated price tag is $340 million. Join discussion...

Engineering, procurement and construction company Punj Lloyd Ltd, which has interests in construction for the oil and gas, thermal power and civil infrastructure industries, wants to increase its highways portfolio in India, company chairman Atul Punj said. The company is looking to participate in projects covering 2,000-3,000km over the next six months, Punj said. Join discussion...

PRIVATE bidders will be invited to run Victoria's new $1 billion cancer centre jointly after the Victorian Government decided to deliver the project as a public-private partnership. Premier John Brumby said the deal would make the project more cost-effective. ''Victoria is a world leader in public-private partnerships,'' he said in a statement yesterday. ''The Royal Children's Hospital and Royal Women's Hospital are prime examples of how we are working with the private sector to deliver first-class hospitals cheaper than would otherwise be possible Join discussion...

In a complete break from the current style of bidding out highway projects (as small parcels of land), the surface transport ministry is planning to award mega projects comprising 400 km to 600 km of highways. “In the next four to six months, we will be bidding out the first of the mega projects that will entail an investment of Rs 5,000 crore or about $1 billion,” road transport and highways minister Kamal Nath said on Sunday. He was speaking on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit. Join discussion...