Authority gets role in California high-speed rail

The Korea Rail Network Authority said yesterday it will provide technology consulting to the civil engineering company of the California high-speed rail project, the first of its kind in the United States.

It signed an agreement with Tutor Perini JV Consortium, the civil engineering company of the project, Oct. 11, local time.

According to the agreement, the authority will advise on the overall railway design, construction and trial run through 2017.

Kim Kwang-jae, president of the railway authority, also agreed to participate with JV Consortium in the bidding at the end of the year for a 3 trillion won ($2.79 billion) construction and supervision project for the second, third and fourth sections.

Meanwhile, the president of the authority met with the U.S. chief of the railroad bureau at the California Department of Transportation, who is the authority on the high-speed rail project and the general manager of the California High-Speed Rail Corporation, the project owner, on Thursday, local time, to promote Korea’s high-speed rail.

The authority’s expansion into the U.S. market can be credited to its technical experience and expertise developed through construction of high-speed rail projects at home and in China, India and other countries.

BY KIM JUNG-YOON [kjy@joongang.co.kr]