2008 in rail transport

Events

By month

January events

February events

* – opening of Santo Domingo Metro.
* February 27 – National Express Group changes the name of English railway operating company "one" to National Express East Anglia as part of a company-wide rebranding exercise. [cite web|url=http://www.railwayherald.co.uk/BackIssues/Issue109HIGH.pdf|title='one' Railway to vanish as National Express begins major rebranding exercise|date=2007-11-17|accessdate=2007-11-17|publisher=Railway Herald|pages=Page 9|format=PDF] [cite journal|author=Clinnick, Richard|title=NX ditches 'one' brand with East Anglian overhaul promise|journal=Rail|volume=587|date=March 12-25 2008|pages=12–13]

March events

* March 15 – The Osaka Higashi Line is scheduled to open in Osaka, Japan; the opening was originally scheduled for 2006, but it was delayed due to problems acquiring land.
* March 27 – Heathrow Terminal 5 station opens in London.
* - Kolkata Metro is extended from Tollygunge station to Pranabnagar station.

April events

*flagicon|England April 28 – Wrexham & Shropshire begin to run passenger services between London Marylebone station, the West Midlands, Shropshire and east Wales. [cite journal|title=Setback for new Wrexham service|journal=Railway Magazine|volume=153|issue=1273|month=May | year=2007|pages=12] [cite web|title=New direct rail service launches this April|publisher=Wrexham & Shropshire|url=http://www.wrexhamandshropshire.co.uk/item.php?id=22&type=1|accessdate=2008-04-02] [cite journal|author=Clinnick, Richard|title=40 years on – Wrexham and Shropshire takes to the rails|journal=Rail|volume=591|date=May 7-20 2008|pages=6–7]
* – FrontRunner, a new commuter rail service, begins running in Utah.

May events

June events

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

July events

* July 5 - proposed link between Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.

August events

* August 1
** flagicon|China – China officially opens the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway line, the first in the world regularly to host trains traveling up to convert|350|km/h|abbr=on|lk=on. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7536576.stm|title=China launches high-speed train|work=BBC News|date=2008-08-01|accessdate=2008-08-01] [cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/01/content_8888638.htm|title=China opens Beijing-Tianjin railway one week ahead of Olympics|work=Xinhua|date=2008-08-01|accessdate=2008-08-01] [cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article4442873.ece|title=China inaugurates 220mph fastest rail service in world in time for Olympics|work=Times Online|author=Fletcher, Hannah|date=2008-08-01|accessdate=2008-08-01]
** flagicon|United Kingdom – LNER-design Peppercorn Class A1 60163 "Tornado" makes first official move under its own steam, the first main line steam locomotive built in Britain since 1960. [cite web|url=http://www.a1steam.com|title=A1 Steam Locomotive Trust|accessdate=2008-08-27]

September events

* – Westside Express Service begins service in Oregon.

October events

November events

December events

* December – The first section of the new METRO Light Rail system, part of Valley Metro in Phoenix, Arizona, is scheduled to open. [Associated Press (reprinted by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, February 16 2005), " [http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=12827 Phoenix begins work on light rail] ". Retrieved February 16 2005.] [cite web| url=http://www.valleymetro.org/Rail/projectschedule/index.htm| title=Construction schedule| author=Valley Metro| accessdate=2006-09-20| ] [cite news | first=Sean | last=Holstege | coauthors= | title=Plan has light rail on track | date=2006-06-30 | publisher= | url =http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0630railsked0630.html | work =Arizona Republic | pages = | accessdate = 2008-02-26 | language = ]

By season

Summer events

* – The project to rebuild and upgrade Guiyang Southern Station to more than double its capacity is expected to be completed. [CRI Online (December 28 2005), " [http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/855/2005/12/29/[e-mail] Building of Railway Hub in SW China Started] ". Retrieved December 29 2005.]

Unknown date events

* – Indian Railways expects to complete the conversion of its electrified section in Mumbai from a 1,500 volt DC system to 25,000 volts AC; this will make the Mumbai section's electrification consistent with the rest of Indian Railways' network.
* – Vietnam expects to complete construction on the Hanoi-Lao Cai railway line upgrade. [Xinhua (September 25 2005), " [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/25/content_3542906.htm France to fund Vietnam in upgrading busiest railway route] ". Retrieved September 27 2005.]
* – The first line of Jerusalem's light rail system is scheduled to begin operations. [Lefkovits, Etgar; Jerusalem Post (February 8 2006), " [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1138622574969&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Jerusalem-TA high-speed railway to be online in 2010] ". Retrieved February 8 2006.]
* – The city of Saint Petersburg, Russia, will begin construction of a new intercity light railway beginning with a km to mi|26.5|wiki=yes|abbr=yes section between Baltiyskaya Zhemchuzhina and the Obukhovo metro station. [cite news| publisher=ITAR-TASS|url=http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11311063&PageNum=0| title=Construction of intercity light railway to begin in St Pete in 2008|date=2007-03-06| accessdate=2007-03-06 ]
* flagicon|Pakistan – Pakistan will begin construction of a major railway line in Afghanistan. An initial 10.5 km stretch of track will be laid from Pakistan border town of Chaman to Spin Boldak in Afghanistan at cost of USD 11.5m. A second phase envisages extending line to Kandahar for eventual connection via the western city of Herat to Khushka in Turkmenistan. The final phase would link 1676mm gauge with Central Asian 1524mm gauge. It is not clear where the break of gauge station(s) will be. [cite web|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_8-5-2005_pg5_7|title=Govt considers railway links with central Asia]
* – Canadian Pacific Railway expects to close on the purchase of Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad. [cite news|last=Goldfarb|first=Jeffrey|coauthors=Reuters|title=CP Rail to Buy DM&E For At Least $1.5 Billion| publisher=nytimes.com|date=2007-09-05|url=http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-canadianpacific-dme.html| accessdate=2007-09-05] cite web|title=Investor Fact Sheet|publisher=CP Rail|date=2007-09-04| url=http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/NR/rdonlyres/ec3c6wd6efofuuztmcmcij22zo3bqpmdmli4uhfrqtwzhfedixtot5s5tkxdgarkp7cjgbzujkci5xzrpxdhtmtdj5g/Investor+Fact+Sheet+09_04_07.pdf| accessdate=2007-09-05| format=PDF| ] cite press release| title=Canadian Pacific announces agreement to acquire DM&E Railroad| publisher=CP Rail| date=2007-09-04| url=http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/Media/News/General/2007/CP+announces+agreement+to+acquire+DM+and+E+Railroad.htm| accessdate=2007-09-05| ]
* – Canadian National Railway expects to close on the purchase of Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway. [cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN2625746620070926| title=CN Railway to buy EJ&E line for $300 million|publisher=Reuters|date=2007-09-26|accessdate=2007-09-26] [cite press release|publisher=Canadian National Railway|url=http://cn.ca/about/media/news_releases/2007/3rd_quarter/en_News20070926.shtml|title=CN to acquire key operations of Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway for US$300 million|date=2007-09-26|accessdate=2007-09-26]

Deaths

March deaths

* March 16 – John Shedd Reed, president of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 1967-1986 (b. 1917).cite news|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8600351|title=John Shedd Reed, rail executive|publisher=San Jose Mercury News|author=Associated Press|date=2008-03-17|accessdate=2008-03-17] cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/chi-hed-shedd-reed-17mar17,0,6634355.story|title=John Shedd Reed, 1917 - 2008|publisher=Chicago Tribune|author=Shah, Tina|date=2008-03-17|accessdate=2008-03-17| ]

References