June 2008 in rail transport

2007, 2008, 2009

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in June 2008.

Events

June 2

– Officials in Georgia negatively react to Russia's deployment of railroad engineering workers under the command of the Russian military to Abkhazia. Russian officials maintain that the engineers are there to help repair and rebuild Abkhazia's railway network in order ease the rotation of Russian peacekeepers and to aid in transportation for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi. Georgian officials allege that since the engineers are under military command, they are no different from armed soldiers and that the move could preface a more aggressive action from Russia in the region.^[2]

June 5

– Uganda's Minister of Finance, Dr. Ezra Suruma, announces plans for the country to buy a new train ferry for Lake Victoria for about $9 million. The new ferry will replace Belgian-built MV Kabalega, which sunk after a collision with another ferry in 2005.^[3]

June 10

– Patriot Rail Corporation announces it has purchased the Louisiana and North West Railroad, bringing the company's railroad holdings to five. Patriot Rail anticipates initiating various growth strategies for this and the other railroad companies it owns within the coming years.^[4]

June 11

– The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issues a ruling that The Children's Investment Fund Management (TCI) violated federal disclosure regulations regarding the fund's ownership of shares in CSX Transportation. The ruling centers around TCI's use of equity swaps of CSX's shares. Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that TCI used equity swaps to conceal that the fund was attempting to purchase shares of CSX beyond the 5% limit for mandatory disclosure. TCI is expected to appeal the decision.^[5]^[6]

June 26

– Skanska AB of Sweden announces that it has been awarded a contract to rebuild railway infrastructure in the Czech Republic. The Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration awarded the SEK835 million contract to rebuild 30 kilometres (19 mi) of track connecting Stříbro and Planá; the work is part of an effort to bring high-speed trains to a line between Prague and a connection on the German border.^[7]

June 30

– China's Minister of Railways announces the beginning of a month-long trial of high-speed rail service on the newly constructed Beijing-Tianjin line. The test trains would be run without passengers so that instant repairs could be made without inconveniencing travelers if any problems arise. Tests are planned to validate regular train schedules, to simulate emergency situations and to ensure that all involved railway departments are properly coordinated.^[8]