Canada: The federal and Manitoba governments are to provide C$40m for track upgrades on the Hudson Bay Railway between The Pas and Churchill, and C$8m on port improvements. Line owner OmniTRAX will spend a further C$20m.
Cuba: Venezuela's state-owned development bank Bandes is to provide US$100m to finance a five-year programme to upgrade infrastructure to increase train speeds from 40 to 100 km/h. UFC is also planning to purchase new locomotives, coaches and wagons from suppliers in Venezuela, Iran and China.
Czech Republic: On September 25 the lower house of parliament agreed to provide CD with a state guarantee for a €30m credit from Eurofima to fund purchase of Class 380 three-system electric locomotives and Class 471 3 kV DC EMUs in 2008. The loan will cover 95% of the cost, with CD paying the rest from its own resources.
France: The government is to provide €12·4m towards a €50m modernisation programme at Rennes station in 2008-12, including the construction of an additional platform. The balance is to be shared by the regional government, city and SNCF.
USA: FRA is providing Union Pacific with $150 000 and the railway paying $244 280 towards a study into wagon-based rail lubrication. Previous tests of loco-based systems proved unsuccessful.
California's state budget for 2007-08 includes $20·7m for the California High Speed Rail Authority, which is now devising ways to raise around $10bn, a third of the project cost, through PPPs.
