November 2009 in rail transport

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

Events

November 3

• – Berkshire Hathaway announces plans to acquire the remaining 77.4% of BNSF Railway that it did not already own in a stock purchase valued at US$26 billion. As a condition of the purchase, Berkshire Hathaway would also take on $10 billion in BNSF debts, bringing the full value of the deal to $44 billion. In a written statement discussing the deal, Warren Buffett wrote "It's an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States." After discussions between Buffett and BNSF CEO Matt Rose, approval from BNSF's board of directors was reportedly gained within 15 minutes.^[1][2][3][4]

November 4

• – Construction work of the second double track of the Lanxin Railway begins in China. The 1,776-kilometre (1,104 mi) long railway will take 5 years to complete, of which, 795 km (494 mi) is in Gansu, 268 km (167 mi) in Qinghai and 713 km (443 mi) in Xinjiang. 31 stations will be built along the line. The design speed is 200 to 250 km/h (120 to 160 mph). The project costs 143.5 billion yuan.^[5]

November 5

• – Four railway lines opened on the same day in Xinjiang, China: the 286-kilometre (178 mi) long Jinghe-Yining-Horgos Railway, which connects Jinghe, Yining and Khorgas, on the border with Kazakhstan, is the first electrified railway line in Xinjiang; the 381.5 km (237.1 mi) long Second Ürümqi-Jinghe Railway between Ürümqi West and Jinghe; the 468.5 km (291.1 mi) long Kuytun-Beitun Railway between Kuitun and Beitun; and the 264 km (164 mi) long Ürümqi-Dzungaria Railway between Urumqi North and the coal industry base in the eastern Dzungaria Basin.^[6]

November 8

• – Freightliner (UK) takes delivery of first PowerHaul Class 70 diesels from General Electric, the latter's first mainline locomotives for the British market.^[7]

November 9

• – Norway Post starts a direct freight train service from Oslo to Rotterdam.^[8]

November 16

• – The Northstar Commuter Rail line opens to regular service after a weekend of celebrations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and at stations heading up to the northern terminus at Big Lake. The weekend also saw the opening of the Hiawatha light rail line's newest station at Target Field.^[9]
• – The section from Stavanger to Sandnes on the Sørland Line opened with double track.^[10]

November 27

Wikinews has related news: Suspected bomb derails Moscow-St Petersburg train, kills at least 25

• – At least 25 people are killed after an express train derailment on the Moscow – Saint Petersburg Railway near Bologoye in Russia at 21:34 local time (18:34 UTC), terrorism being investigated as a possible cause.^[11]
  Main article: 2009 Nevsky Express bombing

November 28

• – Construction work of four railway lines started in China. The four railway lines are: The 140 km (87 mi) long high-speed Xi'an-Baoji Passenger Line, the 242 km (150 mi) long second track of Xikang Railway, the second track of the 952 km (592 mi) long Xi'an-Hefei section of the Ningxi Railway and the 205 km (127 mi) long Huanghanhou Railway. The investment of these four railways is 47.4 billion yuan.^[12]

November 29

• – A collision between two out-of-service Washington Metro trains caused $9 million in damages and injured three workers.

November 30

• – Construction work of the Qingdao Metro begins in China. The first phase will be 24.9 kilometres (15.5 mi) long with 22 stations on the line. The investment is 15.8 billion yuan. The metro line is expected to be opened in 2014.^[13]
• – Network Rail opens Workington North railway station, a temporary railway station in Cumbria, England, constructed in six days following the November 2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods to improve access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent with services provided by Northern Rail and Direct Rail Services.^[14]

References