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Yesterday, California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) Chairman Curt Pringle signed a cooperative agreement with United Kingdom Trade & Investment to exchange high-speed rail planning, design and operations information.

The non-binding agreement will enable CHSRA and the U.K. to share information to “establish and develop a long-term cooperation in the field of high-speed rail transportation,” according to the document.

The pact is the ninth such agreement CHSRA has signed to help gather information on other countries’ high-speed rail experiences, and obtain feedback on proposed operations and maintenance plans, and impact mitigation efforts. Previous agreements were signed with South Korea, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain.

For the United Kingdom, the agreement “affirms our desire to help U.K. companies benefit from California’s high-speed rail project,” said U.K. Trade & Investment Minister of State Steven Green in a prepared statement.

The UK currently operates High Speed 1 (formerly known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link), a 67-mile rail line that links the U.K. to mainland Europe. Service is provided by four operators: Eurostar, First Capital Connect, East Midlands Trains and Southeastern Railway. The country currently is planning HS2, a high-speed line that will link London with Birmingham and, later, Manchester and Leeds.