October 2005 in rail transport

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This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in October 2005.

October events

October 3
  • India - Datia train crash - Six coaches of Indian Railways' Bundelkhand Express from Varanasi derail about 400 km (250 mi) north of Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. The derailed cars struck a nearby signal box before coming to rest on top of one another, killing 18 people and injuring around 100 more. The tracks are cleared and rail service past the accident scene is restored within a day. (newKerala)
October 4
  • Russia Tajikistan - Passenger train service between the Russian capital of Moscow and the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe resumes. The service between the two capitals was suspended in October 2001 by Russia due to an extreme influx of immigrants into Russia, the low quality of the equipment that was used by the Tajik railway and due to Russia's ant-terrorist actions in Afghanistan. (RIA Novosti)
October 5
  • Malaysia - Malaysia's Finance Minister announces that Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) and the State Railway Department will spend RM391 million (US$104 million) to upgrade the country's railway system. The upgrades include nine new stations and updates to four others, several new and upgraded bridges, 22 upgraded grade crossings and an improved signalling and communication system along the 134 km (83 mi) line between Tanjung Aru and Tenom. (Daily Express)
  • Republic of Macedonia - Xhemali Mehazi, Macedonia's Minister of Transport and Communications, announces that the country would need about €500 million (US$596 million) to build a new rail connection between Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria. Macedonian officials are working closely with Italian officials on the Corridor 8 project that would oversee the construction of such a rail link. The governments of the countries involved anticipate that the project would become a priority for Macedonia and would help increase trade and tourism in the region. (Focus News)
October 6
  • Republic of Ireland - Ireland's Transport Minister Martin Cullen announces plans for random drug and alcohol testing of all railway employees. He continued by stating his intention to introduce a bill that would make it illegal to be intoxicated while working on any railway in the country. While the emphasis is on the sobriety of engine drivers, other employees such as dispatchers and maintenance of way workers will be included in the random screenings. (IOL)
  • United States - Amtrak announces that the City of New Orleans and Crescent passenger trains will again serve New Orleans Union Station beginning on Sunday October 9. Before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, Amtrak suspended City of New Orleans service south of Memphis, Tennessee, and suspended Crescent service south of Atlanta, Georgia, in anticipation of damage to the tracks and signal systems surrounding New Orleans. The first departure from New Orleans will be the northbound Crescent at 7:20 AM, followed by the northbound City of New Orleans at 1:45 PM; the first corresponding southbound trains are scheduled to arrive in New Orleans later that afternoon. Amtrak's announcement did not mention service restoration on the transcontinental Sunset Limited. (Amtrak)
  • United States - Security is sharply increased on the New York City Subway after intelligence gathering by the FBI and CIA in Iraq reveals a potential threat. Officials involved in the investigation said that as many as 12 to 20 operatives were planning to meet in New York City as early as October 7 to smuggle explosive devices into the subway system and then detonate them. In response to the threat, the city has assigned at least one uniformed police officer to every subway station in the city, and many more plainclothes officers scattered around the city. Although a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security described the threat as "specific yet noncredible", New York mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the increased security, citing the specificity of the threat. Random searches and increased security was also placed on the city's bus and ferry system. (New York Times)
October 7
  • Finland - The government of Finland accepts a bill to locate the new national railway agency in Helsinki. In May a dispute among government representatives led to considering the eastern town of Kouvola for the agency's headquarters location; the Social Democratic Party favored Helsinki while the Centre Party favored Kouvola. Operational factors, such as the fact that both Finnish Railways and the Finnish Rail Administration (which would both be overseen by the new agency) are headquartered in Helsinki, led to the final decision. The new agency will begin work in September 2006. (NewsRoom Finland)
October 9
October 11
  • Georgia (country) - Georgian Railway general director Davit Onoprishvili turns in his resignation, officially stepping down amid rumors of legal and financial problems. Financial Police have been performing investigations at the railway administration's offices for two weeks and as late as October 9, Onoprishvili had denied rumors of his impending resignation. Since his resignation, officials from the Department of Constitutional Security have also been to the railway offices. (The Messenger)
October 14
  • Kenya Uganda - The concession for operation of the Kenya-Uganda Railways is awarded to Rift Valley Railways Consortium (RVRC), headquartered in South Africa. In announcing the bid, officials state that Rift Valley was selected over RITES Ltd. of India, the only other bidder, by a factor of two to one. The new operator is expected to begin management of the combined railway on March 30, 2006. RVRC will not be expected to take up the railways 20.9 billion shilling (US$282 million) debt, but will repay the Kenyan government 3 billion shillings ($40.5 million) that was spent to subsidize the railway for the last three years. (Capital FM)
October 15
  • China - Chinese officials announce the completion of the Qingzang railway connecting Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region. The line's construction, which has been criticized by some who say the new railway will dilute Tibetan culture, had to overcome technical challenges that included building a railway on top of permafrost and boring tunnels through solid ice while construction workers breathed bottled oxygen. (The Telegraph)
October 17
  • United States - Several fire departments across Belmont County, Ohio, respond to a fire engulfing a site containing about 500,000 railroad ties. Responders were able to bring in tanker trucks to control the blaze and bring it under containment. Since this is the fourth time that fire crews have been called to the scene in as many weeks, investigators are looking into the possibility of arson. (Wheeling News-Register) (WTOV)
  • United Kingdom - British railway ministers announce that Scottish Ministers will soon take control of railway administration within Scotland. The powers will include decisions over operations and infrastructure (such as tracks and stations) as well as oversight of the First ScotRail franchise. The British government will also supply a multi-million pound grant to fund the Scottish rail operations, money that is needed in order to move the Edinburgh station improvement project forward, for example. British ministers will retain train driver licensing as well as other safety obligations. (Scotsman.com)
  • Germany - Fire destroys the roundhouse of the Deutsche Bundesbahn museum in Gostenhof, Nürnberg, Germany. Twenty five diesel and steam locomotives, including a replica of the Adler (the first locomotive to operate in Germany) were destroyed in the fire. Portions of the 60 m x 80 m structure collapsed in the fire, and the adjacent Nuremberg-Furth railway line and the Franconia highway were closed for a short time while firefighters attended to the blaze overnight. Firefighters faced a difficult task as several of the locomotives were operational and had full fuel tanks; additionally eight acetylene tanks exploded in the fire. Damages are estimated at more than €10 million; the cause of the fire has not been determined. Investigators are examining recent roofing work on the structure as one possible cause. (German Steam News) (Tagesschau.de) (Eisenbahn Kurier)
October 18
  • North Korea South Korea - The first test trains over a rail connection between North and South Korea are expected to begin operations by the end of October; revenue service over the connection is hoped to begin by the end of 2005. The tests will begin as soon as military protections from both nations are in place. Joint inspections on the Gyeongui Line (on the peninsula's west coast) took place in late August, while inspections on the eastern Donghae Line will take place on October 23 and October 25. South Korean officials hope that the resumption of service over these connections will help increase trade and travel between the peninsula and mainland Asia. (Seoul Times)
  • South Africa - Railway officials in South Africa announce plans to rehabilitate and use the nation's dormant branch line routes that connect smaller communities. The South African government hopes to migrate some heavy truck traffic off of roads and use the railway lines to "unlock the economic potential" of the country's rural communities. The government is also looking to reduce its expenditure on transportation from 14% of GDP to around 7 or 8%. (allAfrica)
  • Canada - Canadian National Railway (CN) releases its quarterly report announcing record earnings amid rising accident rates. CN stated earnings for the third quarter of fiscal year 2005 were up to a record $411 million, compared to $346 million for the same period in 2004. However, from January 2005 through September, CN suffered more than 70 derailments, the most severe being the derailment and chemical spill at Wabamun Lake, Alberta, in early August, compared to only 49 for the same period last year. E. Hunter Harrison, CN's CEO, stated "It's hard to be pleased with a quarter when you face those tough issues." (CBC)
October 19
  • United States - The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) issues an emergency order that gives railroads operating in the United States thirty days to address the problem of switches left in the wrong position. Citing nine accidents in 2005 attributed to incorrect switch positions, including the Graniteville train disaster on January 6, Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta said "Railroads must put an end to these avoidable and deadly mistakes." Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Joseph H. Boardman added "There is absolutely no excuse for a switch to be left in the wrong position." The penalty for leaving a switch misaligned is set at US$27,000; the emergency order mandates employee training and periodic testing of employee awareness, and requires that railroad engineers ensure that switches are set properly before moving trains. (USDOT)
  • United States - Alstom is fined US$130,500 by OSHA for willful safety violations at the Alstom Drive plant in Hornell, New York. The fines include a $99,000 citation for a dangerous route to the operating cab of the plant's heavy lifting cranes where workers were required to climb over one of the crane's wheels, risking a fall of up to 45 ft (14 m). Other safety violations include a lack of eyewash stations for employees working with corrosive liquids, improper storage of compressed gas tanks and excessive amounts of flammable liquids. Investigations began April 18; Alstom has 17 days to address the problems cited by OSHA. (Community Dispatch)
October 24
  • Taiwan - A freight train derails in Taipei's Nangang District at 4:37 AM local time, causing delays and cancellations of 76 other freight and passenger trains along the route for most of the morning. The derailment affected around 40,000 passengers throughout the day until normal service resumed at 8:20 PM. Initial investigations indicate the derailment was caused by a steel bar that fell onto the track in front of the freight train. (Taipei Times)
October 25
  • Zambia Tanzania - The governments of Zambia and Tanzania announce their intentions to rebuild and rehabilitate the Tanzania-Zambia Railroad (TAZARA) "taking into account the historical and strategic importance to the two neighboring states." The statements were made during a visit of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa to Zambia for that nation's Independence Day celebrations. Although freight traffic along this line has steadily decreased since it was put in service in 1976, passenger revenues have recently begun to increase with more than 565,000 passengers carried in 2004. Details of the rehabilitation strategy have not yet been released. (People's Daily)
October 26
  • United Kingdom - A Merseyrail commuter train derails at 5:50 PM local time on the Wirral Line between Liverpool's Central and Lime Street stations. Initial reports indicate that the derailment was caused by a mechanical failure at relatively low speeds; of the 119 passengers on board the derailed train, none were seriously injured, two elderly passengers were treated for minor injuries and released. The train's passengers were safely evacuated by 7:40 PM. Railway union officials stated that the section of track where the derailment occurred is under a temporary speed restriction of 20 mph (32 km/h). (BBC News)
October 28
October 29
  • India - Heavy rain and flooding south of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, cause the derailment of the Delta Express in the Veligonda rail disaster. About 100 people die in the accident as half of the train's 14 coaches and one of its locomotives derail sending three of the cars into the flood waters near Veligonda, about 30 km (19 mi) south of Hyderabad. Statements from passengers aboard the train relate that they were wakened from their berths and a loud bang and thud were the first indications of problems before the cars came to a stop in the water. (BBC News)
October 31
  • United States - Rapid transit workers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, go on strike. SEPTA, the fifth largest transit agency in the United States, is forced to temporarily close several lines due to a lack of trained employees. Union negotiators walked out of contract negotiations minutes before the midnight deadline when they failed to come to a conclusion; disputes were centered around employee pay and benefits agreements. All operators on the City, Victory, and Frontier Divisions walked off the job. SEPTA services on the regional rail division continue according to contingency plans, and all bus, trolley, and subway lines are suspended until the conclusion of the work stoppage. (Guardian)
  • Japan - Yuji and Seiji Tsutsumi announce that they are willing to bid as high as ¥560 billion for control of the Seibu Railway. The bid is in response to a restructuring plan after accounting problems at Kokudo Corporation, the railway's parent company, led to a suspended prison sentence for Yoshiaki Tsutsumi. Yoshiaki is the brother of both Yuji and Seiji and in 1990 was named the richest man in the world by Forbes magazine. The restructuring plan would sell the railway to American investors for ¥700 per share; the two Tsutsumi brothers are offering ¥1,150-1,300 per share, estimating that the railway is undervaluing itself by as much as 50%. (International Herald Tribune)

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