Attending the dinner were senior representatives of UK companies Scott Wilson, Balfour Beatty Rail, Amec, JCB and Barclays Capital as well Indian companies Tata, Wipro, IIFCL and ICICI bank. Politicians present included Barry Gardiner, chair of the all-party parliamentary group, Patricia Hewitt, chair of the UK-India business council, and Geoffrey Clifton Brown, the shadow trade minister. Join discussion...

THE lobby group representing big transport and construction companies is pushing for a slice of the NSW rail budget, which is worth more than $3 billion. Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, which lobbies for public-private partnerships on big projects, is angling for a role in running the publicly owned suburban network. Join discussion...

Crossrail, the proposed £16bn Heathrow-to-Essex rail link, could be saved by the specialist bank set up by the Treasury to bail out the beleaguered private finance initiative (PFI). Speculation has mounted that Crossrail's scheduled 2017 opening will have to be postponed as the private sector struggles to raise its £6bn contribution in the current market. However, the so-called "PFI bank", which was set up earlier this year, could see its remit expanded to include Crossrail. Join discussion...

The company is in talks with the Highways Department and Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) about the fund's formation, and they are waiting for a clearer pattern of the fund, KTAM Chief Executive Officer Somchai Boonnamsiri said. Join discussion...

The California Public Interest Research group hailed news on Thursday that billions of dollars in President Barack Obama's recently passed stimulus plan could be used to pay for the state's new high-speed rail system. Join discussion...

The Senate’s revised stimulus bill provides $2 billion in funding for a high-speed rail corridor, as well as another $1.1 billion to upgrade existing trains. Altogether, big-ticket rail investment only makes up about 0.3% of the bill’s total outlay. Join discussion...