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1997, 1998, 1999

Years in rail transport

1997 in rail transport 1998 in rail transport 1999 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1998.

Contents 1 Events 1.1 February events 1.2 April events 1.3 June events 1.4 September events 1.5 October events 1.6 November events 1.7 December events 1.8 Unknown date events 2 Deaths 2.1 September deaths 3 Awards 3.1 North America 4 References

[edit] Events

[edit] February events

• February 14 - A freight train passing through Yaounde, Cameroon, collides with another freight; some tank cars carrying fuel oil are ruptured in the derailment. The oil is ignited by a lit cigarette causing a flash fire and an explosion when the flames reach the tank cars, killing 120 people. See: Yaounde train explosion.
• February 20 - The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad files an application with the Surface Transportation Board to build new railroad track to haul coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.

[edit] April events

• April 1 - British trainload freight operator EWS takes over rail operations of National Power.
• April 27 - Spain's Madrid Metro opens the section between Esperanza and Mar de Cristal on Line 4.

[edit] June events

• June 3 - The Eschede train disaster, the worst railroad accident in German history, occurs when a wheel on the high speed InterCityExpress breaks; the derailed train's forward momentum caused it to slam into a bridge pier which increased the damage to the train and caused a higher injury toll than would otherwise have occurred.
• June 6 - The majority of Conrail's railroad assets are split between CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.
• June 19 - The government of Panama relinquishes control of the Panama Railway to the Panama Canal Railway Company, a subsidiary of Kansas City Southern.
• June 23 - Road-rail (dual gauge) Jamuna bridge opened, connecting the previously isolated east and west networks of Bangladesh Railway.^[1]

[edit] September events

• September - Construction begins to convert the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel in Alaska from rail traffic only to combined rail and highway traffic.

[edit] October events

• October 8 - Norways first high-speed railway, Gardermobanen between Oslo S via Oslo Airport, Gardermoen to Eidsvoll, opens.
• October 18 - The Altamont Commuter Express begins regional commuter rail service between Stockton in California's Central Valley and San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[edit] November events

• November 9 - The St. Thomas and Eastern Railway begins operations on a former Canadian National Railway branch line between St. Thomas and Delhi, Ontario.
• November 20 - The Okanagan Valley Railway begins operations on the former Canadian Pacific Railway branch between Sicamous and Kelowna, British Columbia.

[edit] December events

• December - Railways in Germany are attacked by the extortionist Klaus-Peter Sabotta. An InterCity Express line is sabotaged (but the train does not derail), while a freight train is derailed near Anklam.
• December 5 - Trinity Railway Express in Texas adds Saturday train schedules to its timetables and begins operating the first regular Saturday trains.^[2]
• December 10 - The Surface Transportation Board gives preliminary approval to Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's application to build into the Powder River Basin, pending completion of an Environmental Impact Statement.

[edit] Unknown date events

• Canadian National Railway acquires the Illinois Central, giving the CN direct access to the Gulf of Mexico port of New Orleans, Louisiana.
• The former Lima Locomotive Works erecting shed and heavy Shay locomotive shops are razed.

[edit] Deaths

[edit] September deaths

• September 9 - James B. McCahey, Jr., president of Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (b. 1920).^[3]

[edit] Awards

[edit] North America

1998 E. H. Harriman Awards

Group	Gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
A	Norfolk Southern Railway
B
C
S&T

Awards presented by Railway Age magazine

• 1998 Railroader of the Year: David R. Goode (NS)
• 1998 Regional Railroad of the Year: Texas Mexican Railway
• 1998 Short Line Railroad of the Year: St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad

[edit] References

• Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (August 16, 2005), Significant dates in Canadian railway history. Retrieved November 8 and November 20, 2005.