January 2009 in rail transport

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This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in January 2009.

Events

January 2
  • Canada – The Canadian Railway Hall of Fame inducts Keith Hunt, Jim Munsey and Steve Harvey for their contributions to rail transport in Canada. Hunt served as apprentice electrician and was promoted through the ranks to become corporate vice president of Canadian National Railway (CN), Munsey started as a telegrapher and was promoted to become a regional safety manager for CN, and Harvey worked for GO Transit where he served as a system safety officer.[1][2][3][4]
January 3
  • India – Indian Railway Board Chairman Kalyan Jena makes a public statement to assure the Indian people that the current financial crisis will not significantly affect planned railway construction projects in India. The projects include improvements to rail corridors connecting Kolkata-Mumbai, Delhi-Chennai, Kolkata-Chennai via Orissa and Chennai-Goa.[5]
January 12
January 17
Barack Obama aboard the Georgia 300 as the train passes through Claymont, Delaware, on the way to Washington, D.C.
January 20
January 21
  • Iran – Archaeologists in Iran warn that construction of the Shiraz-Esfahān railway line, which was rerouted in 2006 to avoid damage to the Naqsh-e Rustam site in Fars Province now threatens the Rahmatabad Tepe site. The current plans route the line within 10 metres (33 ft) of newly discovered kilns at Rahmatabad Tepe that date back to the 5th millennium BCE. Experts worry that if the railway line is not moved, vibrations from passing trains will destroy the kilns.[13]
January 22
  • Kazakhstan – In an address to the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, MP Zeynulla Alshimbaev relates that construction on the new Uzen-Gizilgaya-Bereket-Etrek-Gorgan railway line could be delayed by as much as a year. In 2007 the presidents of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran all signed agreements to build and operate the new line connecting the three countries and Turkmenistan began construction on its section in December 2007; about 70 km (43 mi) of track for this line has been built in Iran. In his address, Alshimbaev cited a lack of financing as the main cause for the potential delay.[14]
January 29
  • United States – In a unanimous decision at its regular Board meeting, Amtrak names current Board of Directors member and former mayor of Macomb, Illinois, Thomas Carper to become the Chairman of the Board for the railroad and Donna McLean the former Chairman will step down to become Vice Chairman. McLean replaces Hunter Biden as Vice Chairman while Biden remains on Amtrak's Board. Amtrak expects to expand its Board of Directors from five members to nine in 2009 in order to comply with the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.[15]
January 31
60163 Tornado approaches Newcastle Central Station under the wires of the electrified East Coast Main Line, in Newcastle upon Tyne, northern England.

References

  1. "Canadian railroad hall of fame adds three inductees". Progressive Railroading. January 2, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  2. "Keith Hunt". Canadian Railway Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  3. "Jim F. Munsey". Canadian Railway Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  4. "Steve Harvey". Canadian Railway Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  5. "Meltdown not to affect railway projects: Jena". The Hindu. January 3, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  6. "Mayor unveils DLR Woolwich Arsenal station". Transport for London. January 12, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  7. "Obama to crowds: 'I love you back'". CNN. January 17, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  8. "Obama train arrives in Washington". BBC News. January 18, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  9. Zeleny, Jeff (January 17, 2009). "Obama Arrives in Washington After Train Trip". New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  10. Gray, Kathleen (January 17, 2009). "Obama train ride to D.C. is a tribute to Lincoln". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  11. "European rail sector celebrates European Railway Award 2009" (PDF) (Press release). CER and UNIFE. January 20, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  12. "Leuenberger picks up railway award". Swissinfo. January 20, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  13. "Threat from Shiraz-Isfahan railway shifts to Rahmatabad Tepe". Tehran Times. January 21, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  14. Konirova, K. (January 22, 2009). "Kazakhstan delays construction of its railway section to Iran: MP". Trend Capital. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  15. "Amtrak Board Names Thomas Carper of Illinois as Chairman; Former Chairman Donna McLean Becomes Vice Chairman" (Press release). Amtrak. January 30, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  16. "First passenger trip for new loco". BBC News. January 31, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.