1988 in rail transport

Events

February events

* February 1 - MBTA restores passenger train service to Rhode Island, but only during peak rush-hour times.
* February 29 - Illinois Central Gulf Railroad drops the word "Gulf" from its name, returning to the premerger Illinois Central Railroad company name.

March events

* March 13 – Opening of the Seikan Tunnel beneath the Tsugaru Strait connecting the islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō (53.85 km (33.49 mi)) as part of the Kaikyo Line of Hokkaido Railway Company. [cite journal|author=Morse, D.|title=Japan Tunnels Under the Ocean|journal=Civil Engineering|date=May 1988|volume=58|issue=5|pages=50–53]

June events

* June 12 - The Trondheim Tramway in Trondheim, Norway is closed, after decision in the city council. [cite book |last=Aspenberg |first=Nils Carl |title=På meterspor i Nidaros |year=1995 |publisher=Baneforlaget |location=Oslo |pages=6]
* June 27 - A runaway train hits a stationary rush-hour train at Gare de Lyon in France, killing 59 people and injuring more than 50 others.

September events

* September 23 - Boston and Maine Railroad's former Connecticut River Railroad line is transferred to Amtrak for the restoration of "Montrealer" service, which became Amtrak's "Vermonter".

October events

* October 13 - Rio Grande Industries, the parent company of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, purchases the Southern Pacific Railroad; the combined railroad takes SP's identity due to its brand status to shippers.

December events

* December 12 - Three British Rail commuter trains collide at around 8:00 AM (local time) in the Clapham Junction rail crash in South East London as a result of inadequately supervised work on signalling, killing 35. [cite news |last=Left|first=Sarah|title=Key dates in Britain's railway history|work=The Guardian Unlimited|date=2002-01-15|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,2763,633951,00.html]

Unknown date events

* Burlington Northern Railroad corporate headquarters are moved from Seattle, Washington, to Fort Worth, Texas.
* Union Station in Washington, DC, is reopened after renovation.

Deaths

References

* Rivanna Chapter National Railway Historical Society (2005), " [http://avenue.org/nrhs/histsep.htm This month in railroad history: September] ". Retrieved September 23 2005.
* Rivanna Chapter National Railway Historical Society (2005), " [http://avenue.org/nrhs/histoct.htm This month in railroad history: October] ". Retrieved October 11 2005.