June 2008 in rail transport

Events

June 1 - June 7

* June 2 - June 6 AfricaRail 2008 Conference [ [http://www.terrapinn.com/2008/railza/programme.stm Africa Rail 2008 - programme ] ]

;June 2:* flagicon|Abkhazia – Officials in Georgia negatively react to Russia's deployment of railroad engineering workers under the command of the Russian military to Abkhazia. Russian officials maintain that the engineers are there to help repair and rebuild Abkhazia's railway network in order ease the rotation of Russian peacekeepers and to aid in transportation for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi. Georgian officials allege that since the engineers are under military command, they are no different from armed soldiers and that the move could preface a more aggressive action from Russia in the region. [cite news| url=http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1617_june_2_2008/1617_abkhazia.html| title=Russia to rebuild Abkhazia railway| work=The Messenger| author=Featherly, Winston| date=2008-06-02| accessdate=2008-08-01| ]

;June 5:* flagicon|Uganda – Uganda's Minister of Finance, Dr. Ezra Suruma, announces plans for the country to buy a new train ferry for Lake Victoria for about $9 million. The new ferry will replace Belgian-built MV Kabalega, which sunk after a collision with another ferry in 2005. [cite web| url=http://railwaysafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2801&Itemid=35| title=UGANDA TO REPLACE RAIL FERRY| work=RailwaysAfrica| date=2008-06-05| accessdate=2008-08-21| ]

June 8 - June 14

;June 10:* flagicon|USA – Patriot Rail Corporation announces it has purchased the Louisiana and North West Railroad, bringing the company's railroad holdings to five. Patriot Rail anticipates initiating various growth strategies for this and the other railroad companies it owns within the coming years. [cite news| url=http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2008/06/09/daily28.html| title=Patriot Rail buys Louisiana railroad| work=South Florida Business Journal| date=2008-06-10| accessdate=2008-08-21| ]

;June 11:* flagicon|USA – The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issues a ruling that The Children's Investment Fund Management (TCI) violated federal disclosure regulations regarding the fund's ownership of shares in CSX Transportation. The ruling centers around TCI's use of equity swaps of CSX's shares. Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that TCI used equity swaps to conceal that the fund was attempting to purchase shares of CSX beyond the 5% limit for mandatory disclosure. TCI is expected to appeal the decision. [cite news| url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/ruling-csx-case-goes-against/story.aspx?guid={43241DE0-E911-473A-9298-8089843ED414}&dist=msr_26| title=Ruling in CSX case goes against investment firms| work=MarketWatch| author=Barr, Alistair| date=2008-06-11| accessdate=2008-08-21| ] [cite press release| url=http://www.csx.com/share/media/media/docs/CSX_Release_6_11_08_(00223355)-REF24370.pdf| format=PDF| title=U.S. District Court Finds TCI and 3G Violated Federal Securities Laws; Rules in Favor of CSX| publisher=CSX Transportation| date=2008-06-11| accessdate=2008-08-21| ]

June 15 - June 21

June 22 - June 30

;June 26:* flagicon|Czech Republic – Skanska AB of Sweden announces that it has been awarded a contract to rebuild railway infrastructure in the Czech Republic. The Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration awarded the SEK835 million contract to rebuild convert|30|km of track connecting Stříbro and Planá; the work is part of an effort to bring high-speed trains to a line between Prague and a connection on the German border. [cite news| url=http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/06/26/afx5155734.html| title=Skanska wins 835 mln SEK order to rebuild railway in Czech Republic| work=Forbes.com| author=Thomson Financial News| date=2008-06-26| accessdate=2008-08-21| ]

;June 30:* flagicon|China – China's Minister of Railways announces the beginning of a month-long trial of high-speed rail service on the newly constructed Beijing-Tianjin line. The test trains would be run without passengers so that instant repairs could be made without inconveniencing travelers if any problems arise. Tests are planned to validate regular train schedules, to simulate emergency situations and to ensure that all involved railway departments are properly coordinated. [cite news| url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/30/content_6807350.htm| title=First express railway to begin month-long trial| author=Xinhua| work=China Daily| date=2008-06-30| accessdate=2008-08-21| ]

References