2011 in rail transport

Events

By month

January events

• China 10 January – Regular through passenger service from Wuhan to Wanzhou over the complete new Yiwan Railway in China starts. The line features 288 km of bridges on a total length of 377 km.

February events

• UK 19 February – First public passenger train operates throughout between Caernarfon and Porthmadog Harbour over the restored Welsh Highland Railway.
• India 23 February – Opening of the Airport Express Line in Delhi.
• United StatesUK 28 February – Wabtec announces that it has acquired Brush Traction, the English-based locomotive builder and maintainer, for US$31 million.

March events

• Japan 12 March – Kyushu Shinkansen opens between Hakata of Fukuoka and Shin-Yatsushiro, with Osaka and Kagoshima direct bullet train starting.
• Japan 27 March – The Sakuradori Line serving Nagoya is extended 4.2 km from Nonami to Tokushige.
• South Korea 30 March – In Busan, Line 4 of the Busan Metro opens for service connecting Minam and Anpyeong (10.8 km).

April events

• ChinaGermany March–April – Eurasian Land Bridge test run from Chongqing to Duisburg (DB) via Alashankou crossing, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Poland, covering 10300 km in 16 days.
• United States April 17 – A BNSF Railway coal train rear-ends a maintenance-of-way train near Red Oak, Iowa, both crew members of the coal train were killed. The cause was the crew being half asleep.
• Spain 19 April – Zaragoza tram starts its commercial operation.

May events

• Netherlands 1 May – Veendam railway station opens in the Netherlands.
• United States 1 May – Tide Light Rail begins service in Norfolk, Virginia.
• United States May 24 – a CSX Transportation intermodal train rear-ended a Union Pacific Railroad manifest train near Mineral Springs, North Carolina killing both CSX crew members. The cause was the crew of the CSX train passing a dark signal

June events

• Germany 6 June – Munich–Augsburg railway is upgraded to four-track.
• Norway 16 June – An NSB Class 73 burns up after catching fire in a burning show shed at Hallingskeid Station on Norway's Bergen Line.
• United States 20 June – A-Train commuter rail service begins in northern Texas.
• China 22 June – Shenzhen Metro's Line 5 opens.
• China 28 June – Phase 2 of Shenzhen Metro Line 2 connecting Window of the World Station to Xinxiu Station opens for trial runs.
• Azerbaijan 29 June – The Green Line of the Baku Metro is extended from Azadliq prospekti to Darnagul.
• China 30 June – Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway opens in China.

July events

• China 23 July – Wenzhou train collision: At least 39 people are killed when a China Railway High-speed train collides in rear with a preceding stationary train halted by a lightning strike, throwing two coaches off a viaduct close to Wenzhou in Zhejiang province.

August events

• United States 7 August – West Valley and Mid-Jordan extensions of TRAX open in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area.
• Norway 15 August – The Gevingåsen Tunnel on Norway's Nordland Line opens.
• Israel 19 August – The first line of the Jerusalem Light Rail opens to passengers.
• Norway 26 August – The Bærum Tunnel and section of track between Lysaker and Sandvika on Norway's Asker Line is taken into use.
• UK 31 August – Opening of Docklands Light Railway extension from Canning Town to the new Stratford International station, taking over the North London Line infrastructure (which closed on 9 December 2006) and linking the Docklands area with domestic and international high-speed services on High Speed 1 and with the 2012 Olympic Games site.

September events

• 9 September

  • South Korea – in Busan, the Busan–Gimhae Light Rail Transit Line opens for service.
  • United Arab Emirates – In Dubai, the Green Line opens for service.

• United States 27 September – Brookhaven Rail Terminal opened on Long Island, New York, a 28-acre facility for bulk commodities

October events

• 8 October
  • Singapore – The Circle MRT line becomes fully operational.
  • France – Paris Métro Line 8 is extended from to .
• India – Banihal-Qazigund railway tunnel (Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel) a part of its Udhampur – Srinagar – Baramulla rail link project, opened in October 2011, India's longest and Asia's second longest railway tunnel and reduced the distance between Quazigund and Banihal to only 11 km. The 10.96 km long railway tunnel, passes through the Pir Panjal Range of middle Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir.

November events

• Norway 7 November – A new 7.8 km segment of the Vestfold Line with double track between Barkåker and Tønsberg, including the Jarlsberg Tunnel, is taken into use.
• United States 8 November - The new 5000-Series rail cars (5001-5706), built by Bombardier Transportation of Plattsburgh, New York are placed in revenue service on the Chicago Transit Authority elevated-subway rail system.

December events

• France 11 December – SNCF opens LGV Rhin-Rhône.
• Netherlands 11 December – Sassenheim railway station opens in the Netherlands.
• China 28 December – Hangzhou Metro opens in China.

Unknown date events

• Australia – The aging Hitachi trains in Melbourne are completely phased out.
• China – China high-speed Rail faces with crisis after train crash. Several executions happen in governments, train speeds are reduced from 350 km/h to 300 km/h and from 250 km/h to 200 km/h. Expansion of high-speed corridors became uncertain, but will see the second boom in next few years.
• Japan – JR East phases out 113 series.

Industry awards

Japan

; Awards presented by the Japan Railfan Club

• 2011 Blue Ribbon Award: Keisei Electric Railway AE series Skyliner EMU
• 2011 Laurel Prize: Tokyo Metro 16000 series EMU

North America

;2011 E. H. Harriman Awards

;Awards presented by Railway Age magazine

• 2011 Railroader of the Year: Wick Moorman (NS)
• 2011 Regional Railroad of the Year:
• 2011 Short Line Railroad of the Year:

United Kingdom

;Train Operator of the Year:

• 2011: South West Trains

Deaths

• 15 January – Francesco di Majo, designer of the Pendolino (born 1910).
• 4 May – Richard Steinheimer, American railroad photographer, dies (b. 1929).
• 10 July – William D. Middleton, well-known American rail-transport writer (b. 1928).
• 29 July – Richard Marsh, Baron Marsh, chairman of British Rail 1971–1976, dies (b. 1928).
• 20 October – Roger Tallon, designer of the TGV (born 1929).

References

References

1. [http://news.ifeng.com/gundong/detail_2010_12/20/3595647_0.shtml "最难修铁路”宜万铁路通车"] ("World's most difficult to build railway" opens for service) {{in lang. zh
2. (21 February 2011). "Airport to be 20 minutes from Connaught Place from Wednesday". The Hindu.
3. (28 February 2011). "Wabtec buys Brush Traction". [[Railway Gazette International]].
4. (13 March 2011). "". link
5. link. Transportation Department City of Nagoya
6. (30 March 2011). "'국내 첫 무인경전철' 부산도시철도 4호선 개통".
7. Samuel, A.. (2011-04-06). "DB freight train arrives from China into Duisburg after 10300km journey". Rail.co.
8. (2011-04-19). "Arranca el servicio comercial del tranvía". Tranvías de Zaragoza.
9. Eidsvik, Øyvind Lefdal. (8 July 2011). "Sveising kostet 250 mill.". [[Bergens Tidende]].
10. Peterson, Matt. (20 June 2011). "A-train railway begins rolling, carrying commuters from Denton to Carrollton". The Dallas Morning News.
11. (24 July 2011). "China: Dozens die as bullet trains collide in Zhejiang". BBC News.
12. Svingheim, Njål. (15 August 2011). "Første tog gjennom Gevingåsen". [[Norwegian National Rail Administration]].
13. Strande, Mona. (24 August 2011). "Snart kjører toget her". [[Teknisk Ukeblad]].
14. "DLR on track for Stratford International as £67m contract awarded".
15. Docklands Light Railway. "Stratford International extension approved".
16. (June 2017). "Major contract award signals start of work on DLR Stratford International Extension }}{{dead link".
17. 최병길. (29 August 2011). link
18. (10 September 2011). "Dubai Metro Green Line opened on Friday". Emirates24/7.
19. (14 October 2011). "India's longest railway tunnel unveiled in Jammu & Kashmir". [[The Times of India]].
20. "Banihal Qazigund railway tunnel to be complete by December Lastupdate:- Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT GreaterKashmir.com".
21. (14 October 2011). "India's longest railway tunnel unveiled in Jammu & Kashmir". [[The Times of India]].
22. Tørrestad, Yngve. (7 November 2011). "Vestfoldbanen åpnet etter seks uker, men ikke uten problemer". [[Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation]].
23. (9 December 2010). "Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman named Railway Age Railroader of the Year". Railway Age.
24. "South West Trains voted Passenger Train Operator of The Year". rail.co.uk.
25. (23 February 2011). "Francesco di Majo". The Times.
26. (20 October 2011). "L'homme du TGV et pionnier du design industriel, Roger Tallon, est mort". [[Le Monde]].