1991 in rail transport
Encyclopedia
January events
- January 8 - Cannon Street station rail crashCannon Street station rail crashThe Cannon Street station rail crash was an accident on the British railway system which occurred on 8 January 1991 at Cannon Street station. The accident killed two people and injured 524 others...
at Cannon Street stationCannon Street stationCannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. It is built on the site of the medieval Steelyard, the trading base in England of the Hanseatic League...
in London kills two.
May events
May 14 - The Shigaraki train disasterShigaraki train disaster
The was a railway accident that occurred in Shigaraki , Shiga Prefecture, Japan on May 14, 1991. A Shigaraki Kōgen Railway train and a West Japan Railway Company train collided head-on, killing 42 people and injuring 614 others...
occurred in Shigaraki
Shigaraki, Shiga
was a town located in Kōka District, Shiga, Japan.On October 1, 2004 Shigaraki was merged with the towns of Kōka, Kōnan, Minakuchi and Tsuchiyama, all from Kōka District, to form the new city of Kōka....
(now Koka
Koka, Shiga
is a city located in the southern part of Shiga Prefecture, Japan....
), Shiga Prefecture
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. A Shigaraki Kōgen Railway
Shigaraki Kogen Railway
is a Japanese Third Sector railway company whose investors are Shiga Prefecture and the city of Koka.The railway operates the Shigaraki Line, a former Japanese National Railways line that was transferred to the third sector in 1987. The Shigaraki Line runs from Kibukawa on the JR West Kusatsu Line...
(SKR) train and a West Japan Railway Company
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...
(JR West) train collided head-on
Head-on collision
A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...
, killing 42 people and injuring 614 others.
June events
- June 1 - The last remaining Trans-Europ ExpressTrans Europ ExpressThe Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express, is a former international railway service in Europe. At its maximum extent, in 1974, the network comprised 45 trains, connecting 130 different cities.-Origin:...
trains operate for the last time on this date. However, TEE service was revived on one route in 1993 (and then lasted until 1995). - June - The Tōhoku ShinkansenTohoku ShinkansenThe is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
in Japan is extended from Ueno StationUeno Stationis a major railway station inTokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park -- which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and other famous cultural facilities...
to Tokyo StationTokyo Stationis a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
.
July events
- July 16 - Indian RailwaysIndian RailwaysIndian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
inaugurates the Lifeline Express (Jeevan Rekha) hospital train. - July 21 - Newton (South Lanarkshire) rail accident killed 4 people at Newton stationNewton (South Lanarkshire) railway stationNewton railway station is a railway station located between the town of Cambuslang and the village of Newton in South Lanarkshire, Greater Glasgow, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail on the Argyle and Cathcart Circle Lines.-History:...
south east of GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland. - July 29 - The European CouncilEuropean CouncilThe European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
adopts directive 91/440/CEEEU Directive 91/440The EU Directive 91/440 is European Union legislation that sets out a framework and requirements for railways in the EU to allow open access operations on railway lines by companies other than those that own the rail infrastructure...
relating to the development of European railroads.
September events
- September 18 - The last train out of Mahone Bay, Nova ScotiaMahone Bay, Nova ScotiaMahone Bay is a town located on the northwest shore of Mahone Bay along the South Shore of Nova Scotia in Lunenburg County.- History :...
, departs with six Canadian National RailwayCanadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
diesel locomotiveDiesel locomotiveA diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s pulling 64 railroad carRailroad carA railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
s and cabooseCabooseA caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
number 79822. - September - A 400 Series Shinkansen400 Series ShinkansenThe was a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type operated by East Japan Railway Company between 1992 and 2010 on Tsubasa services on Japan's first Mini-shinkansen line, the Yamagata Shinkansen branch from the main Tōhoku Shinkansen....
train set a speed record of 345 km/h (214.4 mph) on the Joetsu ShinkansenJoetsu ShinkansenThe is a high-speed railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company .-History:The program was initiated in 1971 by Niigata-born prime minister Tanaka Kakuei...
line between Tokyo and NiigataNiigata, Niigatais the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
, Japan.
October events
- October 15–20 - Following passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, five high-speed railHigh-speed rail in the United StatesHigh-speed rail in the United States currently consists of one high-speed rail service: Amtrak's Acela Express runs on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C...
corridors are designated for the first time in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: The Midwest, FloridaFlorida High Speed RailFlorida High Speed Rail was a proposed high-speed rail project in the U.S. state of Florida. Initial service would have run between the cities of Tampa and Orlando, with plans to then extend service to South Florida, terminating in Miami. Trains with a top speed of to would have run on dedicated...
, CaliforniaCalifornia high-speed railThe California High-Speed Rail project is a planned future high-speed rail system in the state of California and headed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority . Initial funding for the project was approved by California voters on November 4, 2008, with the passage of Proposition 1A...
, the SoutheastSoutheast High Speed Rail CorridorThe Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor is a passenger rail transportation project in the United States to extend high speed passenger rail services from Washington, DC south through Richmond and Petersburg in Virginia through Raleigh and Charlotte in North Carolina and connect with the existing...
, and the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest CorridorThe Pacific Northwest Corridor or the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor is one of eleven federally designated high-speed rail corridors in the United States. The corridor extends from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia via Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington...
. However, funding for these projects would remain elusive until $8 billion was released in 20102010 in rail transport- April events : April 12 – The Merano train derailment happens when a train derails between Latsch and Kastelbell, near Merano, Italy, after running into a landslide, causing nine deaths and injuring 28. April 17 – The Circle MRT Line Stage 1 and 2 were to be ready for service using...
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
.
December events
- December 12 - AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
and the California Department of TransportationCalifornia Department of TransportationThe California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...
(Caltrans) begin the Capitol CorridorCapitol CorridorThe Capitol Corridor is a 168-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in California. Because it is fully supported by the state, the Capitol Corridor operates under Amtrak California. It runs from the San Francisco Bay Area to Sacramento, roughly parallel to Interstate 80...
passenger rail route, connecting the SacramentoSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
region of the Central Valley with OaklandOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
and San JoseSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
in the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. - December 30 - The Cabinet of Ministers of UkraineCabinet of Ministers of UkraineThe Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
issues a decree on to build the new underground metroDonetsk MetroThe Donetsk Metro is a future underground rapid transit system in Donetsk, construction of which is currently abandoned due to lack of funding. If finished, it will become the fourth metro in Ukraine...
system in DonetskDonetskDonetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
.
Unknown date events
- The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac RailroadRichmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac RailroadThe Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system....
is merged into CSX TransportationCSX TransportationCSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
. - Ferrocarriles ArgentinosFerrocarriles ArgentinosFerrocarriles Argentinos was a public company that managed the entire Argentine railway system for nearly 45 years. It was formed in 1948 when all the private railway companies were nationalised during Perón's first presidential term, and transformed into the Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Estado...
, the state railway system of ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, is split with the metropolitan lines around Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
becoming Ferrocarriles Metropolitanos and most of the remaining lines becoming Belgrano CargasBelgrano CargasBelgrano Cargas S.A. is a company which operates a gauge freight rail network in Argentina, built by the state-owned Ferrocarril Central Norte and the French-owned Ferrocarril Provincial de Santa Fe, which became part of Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano after railway nationisation in 1948...
. - See also Railroad Development Corporation