1990 in rail transport
Encyclopedia
January events
- January 4 - Sukkur rail disasterSukkur rail disasterThe Sukkur rail disaster occurred on January 4, 1990 in the village of Sangi near Sukkur in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. 307 people were killed, making it Pakistan's worst rail disaster....
in Pakistan kills 307 people - January 15 - Via RailVIA RailVia Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
discontinues Super ContinentalSuper ContinentalThe Super Continental was a transcontinental Canadian passenger train operated originally by the Canadian National Railway beginning in 1955 and subsequently by Via Rail from 1977 until its cancellation in 1981. Service was restored in 1985 but was again eliminated in 1990...
service and shifts The CanadianThe CanadianThe Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1955 and 1978. It is currently operated as an Inter-city rail service by Via Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in...
from its Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
to a 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"....
route between TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, ending service to many cities and towns along the CP line, including CalgaryCalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and ReginaRegina, SaskatchewanRegina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
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February events
- February 4 - The last Edmondson railway ticketEdmondson railway ticketThe Edmondson railway ticket was a system for validating the payment of railway fares, and accounting for the revenue raised, introduced in the 1840s. It is named after its inventor, Thomas Edmondson, a trained cabinet maker, who became a station master on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway in...
s are issued for regular travel on British RailBritish RailBritish Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
, by the agent for Pembrey stationPembrey and Burry Port railway stationPembrey and Burry Port railway station is a railway station on the West Wales Line serving Pembrey and Burry Port, in Carmarthenshire, Wales.There is an hourly service to Manchester Piccadilly via Swansea, Cardiff Central, Shrewsbury and Crewe....
in WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
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March events
- March 7 - An accident on the Philadelphia subway near 30th Street Station30th Street Station30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the five stations in SEPTA's Center City fare zone. It is also a major stop on Amtrak's Northeast and Keystone Corridors...
, kills three and injures 150 people.
May events
- May 6 - Cowan rail accident - A heritage steam train hauled by 3801 was rammed at Brooklyn, New South WalesBrooklyn, New South WalesBrooklyn is a small suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Brooklyn is located 51 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and is part of the North Shore region...
by a normal CityRailCityRailCityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
passenger train. Six people lost their lives in the accident. - May 28 - An Alaska RailroadAlaska RailroadThe Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...
train derails 19 tank carTank carA tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
s near Dunbar. Approximately 170000 gallons (643,520 l) of diesel and jet fuelJet fuelJet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
are spilled; the cleanup efforts last nearly three weekWeekA week is a time unit equal to seven days.The English word week continues an Old English wice, ultimately from a Common Germanic , from a root "turn, move, change"...
s.
June events
- June 13 - The first section of the GenovaGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, light metro system, the Metropolitana di GenovaMetropolitana di GenovaThe Genoa Metro is a light metro consisting of a single line that connects the centre of Genoa, Italy with the suburb of Rivarolo Ligure, to the north-west of the city centre...
, is opened.
July events
- July 6 - Completion of the first MRT systemMass Rapid Transit (Singapore)The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...
in SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
consisting of the North South LineNorth South MRT LineThe North South Line was the 1st Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 44 km long with 25 stations, and is operated by SMRT Corporation...
and East West LineEast West MRT LineThe East West Line was the 2nd Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 49.2 km long with 35 stations , making it the longest MRT line in Singapore. It takes about 63 minutes to travel from one end to the other...
. - July 14 - The first light rail line in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the Blue Line, is opened.
August events
- August 18 - GråkallbanenGråkallbanenThe Gråkallen Line is an suburban tram line located in Trondheim, Norway. As the only remaining part of the Trondheim Tramway, it runs from the city center at St. Olav's Gate, via the suburban area Byåsen to Lian. It is designated Line 1, and is served by nine Class 8 articulated trams...
, part of the Trondheim TramwayTrondheim TramwayTrondheim Tramway located in Trondheim, Norway consists presently of one 8.8 km tramway line, Gråkallbanen, from St. Olav's Gate in the city centre through Byåsen to Lian Station in Bymarka...
in TrondheimTrondheimTrondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
is reopened after the city council permanently closed the tramway in 19881988 in rail transport- 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...
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December events
- December 1 - Construction crews on the Channel TunnelChannel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
from both EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
break through the last amount of rock separating the two tunnels, forming the first land link between the two countries for around 8,000 years. - December 31 - Minsk MetroMinsk MetroThe Minsk Metro is a rapid-transit system that serves Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Opened in 1984, it presently consists of 2 lines and 25 stations totaling 30.3 kilometres...
's Avtozavodskaya LineAvtozavodskaya LineAvtozavodskaya Line is a line of the Minsk Metro. The line opened in 1990 and crosses the city on a Northwest-Southeast axis. Currently it comprises 14 stations and 18.1 kilometres of track.-Timeline:-Transfers:-Rolling stock:...
opens between Traktornyi Zavod and FrunzenskayaFrunzenskaya (Minsk Metro)Frunzenskaya is a Minsk Metro station. It was opened on December 31, 1990....
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Unknown date events
- David L. GunnDavid L. GunnDavid L. Gunn is a transportation system administrator who has headed several significant railroads and transit systems in North America....
steps down from leadership of the New York City Transit AuthorityNew York City Transit AuthorityThe New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
. - Robert J. RitchieRobert J. Ritchie (railroad executive)Robert J. Ritchie is the former president and CEO of the Canada railway company, Canadian Pacific Railway.In 1990 he succeeded William W. Stinson as president of Canadian Pacific Railway. and in 1995 succeeded I...
succeeds William W. Stinson as president of Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. - The Gateway Western RailwayGateway Western RailwayThe Gateway Western Railway was a Class II railroad that operated 408 miles of former Chicago and Alton Railroad track between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri...
begins operations over former Chicago and Alton Railroad tracks between Kansas CityKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
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