June 2006 in rail transport

2005, 2006, 2007

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in June 2006.

[edit] Events

China gains control of iron ore deposits at Kakouou in north eastern Gabon, which will result in new deep water port at Santa Clara and extension of railway line. [1]

- Indian Railways begins construction on a new rail bridge that will become the highest railroad bridge in the world. The bridge, crossing the Chenab River at 359 metres (1,178 ft) above the river and connecting Katra and Laol in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, will also include the world's largest supporting arch. The arch will span 1,315 m (4,314 ft). Construction is expected to be completed by 2009.^[1]

- In a precedent-setting case brought by European Green Party legislator Alain Lipietz and his sister, SNCF, the national railway of France, is ordered to pay almost $80,000 in reparations for transporting members of their family to the Drancy deportation camp during World War II. SNCF argued at trial that they were at the time under orders of the German military; the railroad further argued that the German military threatened to shoot any railroad official who disobeyed their orders. The court disagreed with SNCF concluding that there was no way that SNCF could have avoided knowledge of the prisoners' likely deportation to concentration camps and that SNCF made no effort to either protest the transportation or to transport them in a humane manner.^[2]

- The Brazilian railroad company Companhia do Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) announces that it will begin construction of a new railroad line in Mozambique, based on the concession awarded to CVRD in 2004, to connect the coal mines at Moatize with the ocean port of Nacala. The line will primarily haul coal for export and will connect to the port through Blantyre, Malawi. Construction is scheduled to begin in December 2006 with operations beginning in 2009.^[3]

- NSB Anbud takes over passenger operations on Gjøvikbanen, Norway on a ten-year contract. This is the first time public service obligation is used in rail transport in Norway.

- The rebuilt Tianjin Metro reopens for service after 5-year suspended. The new metro called Tianjin Metro line 1 from Liuyuan to Shuanglin, 22 stations, 26.188 kilometers in length, extends the old line opens on December 28, 1984, which was only 7.4 kilometers long and 8 stations.

- Representatives of Skanska, the company involved in the construction, announce that the initial bore of the new Labbacka railway tunnel is now complete. Construction on the tunnel in Helsinki, Finland, began in September 2005 as part of a transportation infrastructure project at the port of Vuosaari; two highway tunnels, Orosmaki tunnel and Karnainen tunnel are also being built by Skanska.^[4]

- Hankyu Railway announces that it has completed its stock purchase for control of Hanshin Electric Railway in a transaction totalling about $2.2 billion. Hankyu now owns a 63.7% interest in Hanshin, which is planned to be operated as a subsidiary company beginning later in 2006. The purchase makes the combined company the third largest railway in Japan by revenue, and the second largest in the Kansai region.^[5]
- The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors approves a three year trial of express service between Penn Station, in New York City, and Atlantic City. The estimated travel time will be 2½ hours with a few stops along the way and is part of the casinos' multi-million dollar investments in Atlantic City. Most of the funding behind the new transit line is supplied by Harrah's and the newest addition to Atlantic city's skyline, the Borgata. The line is expected to be in service by the end of 2007.^[6]

- The Chicago Transit Authority initates trial service on the new Pink Line, a rerouting of an existing branch of the Blue Line. The new line, the CTA's first in over a decade, is scheduled to run for an initial period of 180 days.

- Shanghai south railway station opens for limited service; the first regular train out of the station is train N521 bound for Hangzhou. The station features the world's largest circular transparent roof and can accommodate up to 16,000 passengers at once. Formal opening ceremonies are currently scheduled for July 1.^[7]