- 1996 in rail transport
Events
January events
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January 6 - A computer-controlled Washington Metro train overruns the platform at the Shady Grove station, colliding with a parked train and fatally injuring the operator.February events
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February 4 - The first two British passenger train operating companies begin operation of their service franchises as part of theprivatisation of British Rail :South West Trains (part of theStagecoach Group ) andGreat Western Trains (management buyout ).cite journal|title=Passenger train operating companes: who bought what|journal=Railway Magazine|date=April 1997|pages=p. 20]
*February 10 - Woodlands Extension of the North South MRT Line inSingapore opened, added 6 new stations to the current network.
*February 24 - The three British trainload freight companies,Load-Haul ,Mainline Freight andTrans-Rail , are acquired together by North & South Railways Ltd, an affiliate of Wisconsin Central Ltd, as part of theprivatisation of British Rail .March events
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March 4 - AWisconsin Central freight train derails on a broken switch inWeyauwega, Wisconsin . The derailment forces the evacuation of the entire town untilMarch 20 while fire crews work to control the resulting blaze.
*March 15 -Amtrak selects the "American Flyer" design developed byBombardier andAlstom , based on theTGV trains ofFrance , as the design model for its "Acela Express " rolling stock.cite web|url=http://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=15_mars_dans_les_chemins_de_fer&oldid=14209552|title=15 mars dans les chemins de fer|language=French|date=2007-02-16 |accessdate=2007-03-15]
*March 18 -SNCF begins a construction project to renew thetrack ballast on theParis -Lyon TGV line; the project is expected to last through 2006. [cite web|url=http://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=18_mars_dans_les_chemins_de_fer&oldid=10532928|title=18 mars dans les chemins de fer|language=French|work=French language Wikipedia|accessdate=2007-03-09 ]
*March 28 -Mucha line ofTaipei Mass Rapid Transit, the first subway line ofTaiwan , opens.April events
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April 14 - The British trainload freight company North & South Railways Ltd becomesEWS .
*April 28 - Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises as part of theprivatisation of British Rail :Gatwick Express andMidland Mainline (bothNational Express Group ) andGreat North Eastern Railway (Sea Containers Ltd ).May events
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May 4 – Purchase by theDakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad of the formerChicago and North Western Railway branch line s fromRapid City, South Dakota toColony, Wyoming andCrawford, Nebraska becomes effective.
*May 17 -Canadian National Railway 's Beachburg Subdivision between Pembroke and Nipissing, 126mile s (#expr:(126 * 1.609344) round 0 km) of track which traversedAlgonquin Provincial Park , is officially abandoned.cite web| url=http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/ottawa.htm|title=Significant dates in Ottawa railway history|work=Colin Churcher's Railway Pages|year=2006-04-28 |accessdate=2006-05-17 ]
*May 20 - The British railway infrastructure management company,Railtrack , is privatised, being floated on theLondon Stock Exchange with shares worth 360p. [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]
*May 26 - Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises inEngland as part of theprivatisation of British Rail :Connex South Central and LTS Rail (a subsidiary ofPrism Rail ).June events
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June 2 - 1st part of the Belgian High Speed line (HSL 1 - Antoing - French Border) put into service, continuation of the FrenchLGV Nord .
*June 26 - TheAtlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railroad and theA&G Railroad merge to form theBay Line Railroad .July events
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July 21 - Britishtrain operating company Chiltern Railways begins operation of its passenger service franchise inEngland as part of theprivatisation of British Rail , following amanagement buyout .
*July 27 -Ron Burns becomes president ofUnion Pacific Railroad .
*July 28 - TheTalleyrand Terminal Railroad (a subsidiary ofGenesee and Wyoming, Inc. ) begins operations inJacksonville, Florida .
*July 31 -Canadian Pacific Railway makes the last run of a grain load in a 40 ftboxcar with the final deliveries of grain toThunder Bay, Ontario .cite journal|author=McDonnell, Greg|year=1997|month=April|title=In Canada, finis for 40-footers|journal=Trains Magazine|volume=57|issue=4|pages=17–18]August events
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August 19 -Metra 'sNorth Central Service commuter rail line begins operations on theMilwaukee District West Line and on theWisconsin Central Railroad between Union Station in downtown Chicago and Antioch.September events
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September 14 - TheYork Durham Heritage Railway begins operations on CN's former branch between Uxbridge andStouffville, Ontario . [cite web|title=York-Durham Heritage Railway|url=http://www.ydhr.on.ca/WelcomePage.html|accessdate=2007-07-20]October events
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October 1 - TheNorwegian Railway Inspectorate is created.
*October 13 - Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises as part of theprivatisation of British Rail : Cardiff Railway Company (operating asValley Lines ) andWales and West (both subsidiaries ofPrism Rail );Connex South Eastern ;Island Line, Isle of Wight (Stagecoach Group ); andThames Trains (Go-Ahead Group ).
* October - The first stage ofCairo Metro 's Line Two (the Yellow line) opens.November events
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November 18 - Fire erupts in theChannel Tunnel seriously damaging 200 m of the tunnel's lining.
*November 21 - Limited freight service in theChannel Tunnel resumes while construction crews make repairs at the location of the fire three days earlier.December events
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December 1 -Norges Statsbaner , the national railway ofNorway , is created by theNorwegian National Rail Administration .
*December 4 - Passenger service resumes through theChannel Tunnel .
*December 5
** Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway reopensStampede Pass inWashington and resumes operating freight trains over the line.cite web|title=Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad reopens Stampede Pass line on December 5, 1996|work=HistoryLink.org|url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7364|accessmonthday=5 December|accessyear=2005]
**Canadian National Railway (CN) operates its last train of grain to be hauled in 40 ft (12 m)boxcar s; CN SD40s numbered 5256 and 5051 departCanora, Saskatchewan , with a train of 114 such boxcars bound forWinnipeg, Manitoba , andThunder Bay, Ontario .
*December 30
**Dallas Area Rapid Transit opens the first line ofTrinity Railway Express between Dallas and Irving,Texas .Trinity Railway Express, [http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/traininfo.html Significant dates in Trinity Railway Express history] . RetrievedDecember 27 2005 .] DART, [http://www.dart.org/history.asp DART history] . RetrievedDecember 27 2005 .]
** TheBrahmaputra Mail train bombing : a bomb explodes a train travelling in LowerAssam in EasternIndia , totally destroying three carriages of the train and derailing six more, killing at least 33 people.
*December 31 - TheBurlington Northern Railroad and theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway merge to form theBurlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway .Unknown date events
* The
Union Pacific Railroad finishes the acquisition that was effectively begun almost a century before with the purchase of theSouthern Pacific Railroad . [cite web|title=Union Pacific Railroad Chronological History: The 1800s|work=Union Pacific Railroad|url=http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/uprr-chr.shtml|accessmonthday=22 July|accessyear=2005] The merged company retains the name "Union Pacific" for all railroad operations.
* TheHell Gate Bridge , built in1916 , is overhauled, including its first paint job in 80 years.
* Construction begins onSan Juan, Puerto Rico 'sTren Urbano mass transit system. [cite journal|title=Setbacks for Puerto Rico's system|journal=Trains Magazine|pages=p 31|date=May2002 ]Deaths
May deaths
* May -
Carl Fallberg , cartoonist who createdFiddletown & Copperopolis (b.1915 ).cite journal|year=1997|month=February|title=Obituary|journal=Trains Magazine|volume=57|issue=2|pages=18A]References
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