2001 in rail transport

Events

January events

* January 17 - Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

February events

* February 12 - Construction begins on KCR Ma On Shan Rail in Hong Kong.
* February 28 - A rail accident in Selby, North Yorkshire, England, leaves 13 dead and 75 injured.

March events

* March 21 - A General Motors Electro-Motive Division JT42CWR (Series 66) becomes the first American-built diesel locomotive to cross the Germany-Switzerland border as it leads a container train from Cologne to Mutenz.

April events

* April 3 - The European Union approves Bombardier's acquisition of Adtranz.

May events

* May 16 - The km to mi|43.5 stretch of railway between Murska Sobota, Slovenia, and Zalalövő, Hungary, is opened, in part following the route originally opened in 1907 and dismantled in 1968.
* May 26 - SNCF sets a new speed record in France when TGV train number 531 travels the 1067.2 km (663.1 miles) between Calais and Marseilles in 3 hours and 29 minutes at an average speed of 317.46 km/h (197.26 mph).

June events

* June 7 - SNCF opens a station in Avignon, France, on the Mediterranean TGV line.

July events

* July 1 - Elipsos (Elipsos Internacional S.A.) – a joint-venture company established by the Spanish and French rail companies SNCF and RENFE to run night-time passenger connections from Spain to France, Switzerland, and Italy – begins operations.
* July 12 - The Maitry Express passenger train begins regular revenue service between India and Bangladesh.
* July 21 - Four passenger cars on the "Mangalore Mail" commuter train heading for Chennai derail while crossing the Kadalundi River near Calicut, India, killing 57 people. See: Kadalundi River rail disaster.

August events

* August 16 - After a complete restoration, Canadian Pacific 2816, a 4-6-4 steam locomotive, operates under its own power for the first time in nearly 40 years.
* August 19 - The "Udarata Menike" express passenger service from Kurunegala to Alawwa, Sri Lanka, derails on newly installed track, killing 15 passengers in what has come to be known as the Kurunegala train crash.

September events

* September 5 - The extension of Minsk Metro's Avtozavodskaya Line connecting Avtozavodskaya to Mogilevskaya opens.

October events

* October - Cuban National Railways purchases its first six-axle GE diesel locomotives (mostly GE C30-7 models) secondhand from Mexican railroads.
* October 3 - Canadian Pacific Corporation divests itself of its five major subsidiaries, spinning off Canadian Pacific Railway as an independent company.
* October 7 - Railtrack, in England, is placed under legal administration by Stephen Byers, Secretary of State for Transport, effectively renationalizing the system. [cite news|last=Left|first=Sarah|title=Key dates in Britain's railway history|work=The Guardian Unlimited|date=2002-01-15|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,2763,633951,00.html]
* October 9 - Canadian National Railway (CN) purchases Wisconsin Central for $1.2 billion, giving CN a direct rail link to Chicago, Illinois.
* October 31 - A broken rail on the SNCF in France derails a TGV train travelling at 130 km/h (80.8 mph), but only six minor injuries result.

November events

* November 15 - Two Canadian National Railway trains collide head-on in Andersonville, Michigan (northwest of Detroit).
* November 19 - The Surface Transportation Board releases the final Environmental Impact Statement on Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's plan to expand into Wyoming's Powder River Basin.

December events

* December 11 - Seven members of the CCFE (Communauté des chemins de fer européens) leave to form EIM (European Infrastructure Managers).
* December 15 - The "Downeaster", a passenger train operated by Amtrak, begins regularly-scheduled passenger service between Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine.
* December 17 - MARC extends passenger service to Frederick, Maryland.
* December 23 - An incorrect brake application on a CSX local train that had stopped to perform switching at Kodak Park (Charlotte, New York) causes the train to run away and derail five miles later, destroying homes and businesses in the area.

Unknown date events

* The boiler tubes in Union Pacific 844, one of two steam locomotives operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in excursion service, fail; the locomotive is removed from active service until repairs can be made.

Deaths

January deaths

* January 30 - O. Winston Link, American photographer who documented the end of steam locomotive use on the Norfolk and Western Railway in the 1950s (b. 1914).

Awards

North America

;2001 E. H. Harriman Awards

;Awards presented by Railway Age magazine
* 2001 Railroader of the Year: Mike Haverty (ATSF, KCS)
* 2001 Regional Railroad of the Year: Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
* 2001 Short Line Railroad of the Year: South Buffalo Railway

United Kingdom

;Train Operator of the Year
* 2001:

References

* Some of the events listed here were translated from [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_dans_les_chemins_de_fer 2001 dans les chemins de fer] , the equivalent French-language Wikipedia article.
* Canadian Pacific Railway (2005), " [http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/General+Public/Heritage/A+Brief+History.htm Canadian Pacific Railway - A Brief History] ". Retrieved September 30 2005.
* (May 2002), CSX recognizes human error, "Trains Magazine", p. 22.
* (May 2002), Familiar faces in unfamiliar places, "Trains Magazine", p. 26.
* (February 2002), Fatigue, or human error? "Trains Magazine", p. 24.
* General Motors Electro-Motive Division (March 21 2001), " [http://www.emdiesels.com/en/company/news/links/20010321_JT42CWR_Swiss_crossing.html First GM CLASS 66 Locomotive Crosses German-Swiss Border] ". Retrieved April 13 2005.
* Indian Railways Fan Club (2005), " [http://irfca.org/faq/faq-history6.html IR History: Part VI (1995-present)] ". Retrieved July 10 2005.
* (April 3 2005), " [http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm Significant dates in Canadian railway history] ". Retrieved August 15 2005.
* (February 2002), MARC adds line; tower fixed up, "Trains Magazine", p. 24.
* O. Winston Link Museum, " [http://www.linkmuseum.org/index-1.html O. Winston Link Biography] ". Retrieved February 4 2005.