1999 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1999.

Events

March events

• March 15 - In the Bourbonnais train accident, the southbound Amtrak train 59, City of New Orleans, strikes a loaded semi-truck on a grade crossing in Bourbonnais, Illinois; all but three of the passenger cars derail, killing 11 of the train's passengers. The NTSB attributes the cause to the truck driver trying to beat the train at the crossing.

July events

• July 16 - Indian Railways' Grand Trunk Express on its way to Delhi collides with derailed freight cars near Mathura, India; 17 people die and 200 more are injured in the accident.

August events

• August 30 - The United States Surface Transportation Board approves Utah Railway's petition to haul freight on the former Union Pacific Railroad line between Salt Lake City and Draper, a line now owned by Utah Transit Authority.

September events

• September 3 - RailAmerica takes over operations of former Santa Fe Railroad subsidiary, Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway, for a purchase price of approximately $18 million. (RailAmerica)
• September 18 - Trillium Rail subsidiary Port Colborne Terminal Railway begins operations on 41 miles (66 km) of track in Ontario's Niagara Peninsula.

October events

• October 5 - The Ladbroke Grove rail crash occurs at Ladbroke Grove Junction, a few miles west of London's Paddington station, when two passenger trains collided nearly head-on; the cause of the accident is attributed to the placement of a signal (which was showing a stop indication) that could not be seen far enough down the track for drivers to react in time.
• October 18 - After 15 months, three months ahead of schedule, the $74 million project to rebuild the Franklin Avenue Shuttle in New York City is completed; the shuttle as well as four stations reopen for service.

December events

• December 6 - Manchester Metrolink, in Manchester, England, is extended to Broadway.

Unknown date events

• David L. Gunn is succeeded by Rick Ducharme as commissioner of the Toronto Transit Commission.
• Amtrak begins a massive rebuild program to overhaul the railroad's fleet of EMD AEM7 locomotives at the Wilmington, Delaware, shops.
• Melbourne's suburban rail network and tram network is privatised with operators Hillside Trains (now Connex Melbourne), Bayside Trains (later M>Train), as well as tram operators Swanston Trams (later M>Tram) and Yarra Trams.

Deaths

References

• Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (August 16, 2005), Significant dates in Canadian railway history. Retrieved September 18, 2005.
• Indian Railways Fan Club, IR History: Part VI (1995-present). Retrieved July 12, 2005.
• New York City Transit, New York City Transit – History and Chronology. Retrieved October 18, 2005.
• RailAmerica (2002), RailAmerica History. Retrieved September 3, 2005.
• Strack, Don (2005), Utah Railway History, After 1960. Retrieved August 30, 2005.