Infrastructure in the News: April 9, 2010

Accoring to NY Times China wants to offer a high-speed rail expertise to the U.S. and Greenwire reported on a successful public transportation project. Read more about these stories in this Infrastructure in the News.

National News

NY Times: China Is Eager to Bring High-Speed Rail Expertise to the U.S.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has closely followed progress in the discussions with China and hopes to come here later this year for talks with rail ministry officials, said David Crane, the governor’s special adviser for jobs and economic growth, and a board member of the California High Speed Rail Authority. China is offering not just to build a railroad in California but also to help finance its construction, and Chinese officials have already been shuttling between Beijing and Sacramento to make presentations, Mr. Crane said in a telephone interview. China is not the only country interested in selling high-speed rail equipment to the United States. Japan, Germany, South Korea, Spain, France and Italy have also approached California’s High Speed Rail Authority. The agency has made no decisions on whose technology to choose. But Mr. Crane said that there were no apparent weaknesses in the Chinese offer, and that Governor Schwarzenegger particularly wanted to visit China this year for high-speed rail discussions.

State News

Greenwire: A Southern Success Story for Public Transportation Offers Lessons in Livability
By nearly all accounts, the new light-rail project here has been an unexpected and nearly unprecedented success. But that hasn't stopped local and federal officials from wishing they could go back in time and take a second crack at planning it.