- 1997 in rail transport
Events
January events
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January 5 - Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises as part of theprivatisation of British Rail :Anglia Railways (GB Railways ); Great Eastern (First Group );Virgin CrossCountry ; and WAGN (Prism Rail ).cite journal|title=Passenger train operating companes: who bought what|journal=Railway Magazine|date=April 1997|pages=p. 20]
*January 6 - Full freight and passenger service is restored through theChannel Tunnel , just short of two months after a devastating fire.
*January 19 - Britishregional rail train operating company Merseyrail Electrics (acquired by MTL) begins operation of its passenger service franchise inEngland as part of theprivatisation of British Rail .March events
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March 2 - Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises inEngland as part of theprivatisation of British Rail :Central Trains and North London Railways (bothNational Express Group ); North Western Trains (acquired by theGreat Western Trains organisation); Regional Railways North East; and Thameslink (Govia ).
*March 3 -Union Pacific Railroad reopens the formerWestern Pacific Railroad Feather River Canyon line inCalifornia after repairs are made from flooding that occurred in January. [Union Pacific Railroad, " [http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/uprr-chr.shtml Chronological History] ". RetrievedMarch 3 2006 .]
*March 9 - British main linetrain operating company Virgin West Coast begins operation of its passenger service franchise as part of theprivatisation of British Rail .
*March 22 -Japan 'sAkita Shinkansen begins operating over theMorioka -Akita section usingTazawako Line andŌu Main Line tracks.
*March 31 -Train operating company ScotRail (acquired byNational Express Group ) begins operation of its passenger service franchise inScotland as part of theprivatisation of British Rail , the last company to be sold.April events
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April 25 - Construction begins on Phase II ofManchester Metrolink inEngland .
*April 27 -Tsing Ma Bridge inHong Kong ,China is officially opened. The lower deck of thissuspension bridge carries rail lines as part ofMTR 'sTung Chung Line and Airport Express. The bridge has a main span of 1,377 metres (4,518 ft), the largest of any bridge carrying rail traffic. [Structurae|id=s0000082|title=Tsing Ma Bridge]May events
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May 10 -Amtrak ceases operations of the Chicago-Los Angeles "Desert Wind "passenger train .
*May 11 - TheNew York and Atlantic Railway takes over operations of theLong Island Rail Road 's freight services. [cite journal|author=Skeats, William J.|date=April–June 2005|title=The New York & Atlantic Railway|journal=The Railroad Press|volume=65|pages=32]
* May -Kansas City Southern acquires theGateway Western Railway and begins operating it as a subsidiary railroad.June events
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June 28 -Guangzhou Metro Line 1 begins partial operation.August events
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August 27 -Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and theUnited States Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) form a team composed of UP managers, union employees and FRA representatives to review safety policies and procedures across the UP system.cite web| url=http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/uprr-chr.shtml| author=Union Pacific Railroad | title=Union Pacific Chronological History| accessdate=2006-08-25| ]eptember events
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September 3 -Union Pacific Railroad and theUnited States Federal Railroad Administration introduce theSafety Assurance Compliance Process . [http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/uprr-chr.shtml (UP)]
*September 19 - In theSouthall rail crash , the 10:32 Great WesternIntercity passenger train fromSwansea toLondon Paddington , operating with a defectiveAutomatic Warning System indicator passes a red signal (SPAD) and collides with a freight train leaving its depot, shortly before 13:20 local time.
*September 20 -RaiLink Southern Ontario begins operations on the formerCanadian National Railway Hagersville subdivision between Nanticoke and Brantford.October events
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October 13 - First section of the restoredWelsh Highland Railway (60 cm (2 ft) gauge) officially opened over 5 km (3 mi) of abandoned standard gauge trackbed betweenCaernarfon andDinas, Gwynedd ,North Wales . [cite web|title=Project Rheilffordd Eryri|url=http://whr.bangor.ac.uk/whr.htm|accessdate 2007-07-13]
*October 23 - A coal train inBeresfield ,New South Wales ,Australia passes a red signal (SPAD) and collides with the rear of a second coal train on the same track in theBeresfield rail disaster ; due to the accident, a random factor has been added to thevigilance control signals' intervals. [ATSBLink | type =R | year =1998 | occno =1998001 | title = Coal Train Collision | accessdate = 2007-06-09]November events
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November 11 - The extension ofMinsk Metro 'sAvtozavodskaya Line connectingTraktornyi Zavod to Avtozavodskaya opens.
*November 22 - The British freight companyRailfreight Distribution is acquired byEWS as part of theprivatisation of British Rail .December events
* December -
Illinois RailNet is formed.
*December 10 - Inauguration of the 2nd and last part of the Belgian High Speed Line 1 (HSL 1 - Antoing<>Lembeek) byKing Albert II .
*December 14 - Belgian High Speed Line 1 (HSL 1 ) put into service, reducing the travel timeBrussels <>Paris to 1h25 and Brussels<>London to 2h36.Unknown date events
* The
Ballard Terminal Railroad is formed to handle freight traffic aroundBallard, Seattle, Washington .
* TheBeijing -Kowloon Through Train and theShanghai -Kowloon Through Train start services.
* TheAustralian National Railways Commission is privatised with freight operations sold toPacific National ,Tasmania n operations and infrastructure sold toAustralian Transport Network Limited , South Australian branch lines sold to theAustralian Railroad Group and passenger service to Great Southern Railway.Deaths
Awards
North America
; 1997
E. H. Harriman Award s; Awards presented by
Railway Age magazine
* 1997Railroader of the Year :Paul M. Tellier (CN)
* 1997Regional Railroad of the Year :Red River Valley and Western Railroad
* 1997Short Line Railroad of the Year :Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad References
* Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (
August 16 2005 ), " [http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm Significant dates in Canadian railway history] ". RetrievedSeptember 19 2005 .
* (February2002 ), Flags fall in corporate shuffles, "Trains Magazine", p. 17.
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