<!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see WP:SDNONE -->

Events

January events

  • January 6 – A computer-controlled Washington Metro train overruns the platform at the Shady Grove station, colliding with a parked train and fatally injuring the operator.

February events

  • February 4 – The first two British passenger train operating companies begin operation of their service franchises as part of the privatisation of British Rail: South West Trains (part of the Stagecoach Group) and Great Western Trains (Great Western Holdings).
  • February 9 - 1996 Secaucus train collision: A southbound New Jersey Transit train (Train #1254) bound for Hoboken Terminal collides nearly head-on with a northbound NJ Transit train (Train #1107) heading to Suffern. 3 People are killed.
  • February 10 – Woodlands Extension of the MRT North South line in Singapore opened, adding six new stations to the current network.
  • February 16 – 1996 Maryland train collision: A Chicago bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, killing 11 people.
  • February 19 – Approximately 1,000 passengers are trapped in the Channel Tunnel when two Eurostar trains break down due to electronic failures caused by snow and ice.
  • February 24 – The three British trainload freight companies, Loadhaul, Mainline Freight and Transrail, are acquired by North & South Railways, a subsidiary of Wisconsin Central, as part of the privatisation of British Rail.

March events

  • March 4 – Weyauwega, Wisconsin derailment: A Wisconsin Central freight train derails on a broken switch in Weyauwega, Wisconsin. The derailment forces the evacuation of the entire town until March 20 while fire crews work to control the resulting blaze.
  • March 15 – Amtrak selects the "American Flyer" design developed by Bombardier and Alstom, based on the TGV trains of France, as the design model for its Acela rolling stock.
  • March 18 – SNCF begins a construction project to renew the track ballast on the Paris-Lyon TGV line; the project is expected to last through 2006.
  • March 20
  • In Seoul, South Korea:
  • A section of Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is opened independently from Banghwa to Kkachisan ().
  • A branch of Line 2 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is opened from Sindorim to Kkachisan.
  • In Seoul, South Korea, a branch of Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is opened from Macheon to Gangdong ().

April events

  • April 14 – The British trainload freight company North & South Railways Ltd becomes EWS.
  • April 21 – The Jokela rail accident, a derailment in thick fog, kills 4 in Tuusula, Finland.
  • April 27 – The Tōyō Rapid Railway Line, connecting Nishi-Funabashi and Katsutadai opens in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
  • April 28 – Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises as part of the privatisation of British Rail: Gatwick Express and Midland Mainline (both National Express) and Great North Eastern Railway (Sea Containers).
  • May 20 – The British railway infrastructure management company, Railtrack, is privatised, being floated on the London Stock Exchange with shares worth 360p.
  • May 26 – Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises in England as part of the privatisation of British Rail: Connex South Central and LTS Rail.
  • July 27 – Ron Burns becomes president of Union Pacific.
  • July 28 – The Talleyr and Terminal Railroad (a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming) begins operations in Jacksonville, Florida.
  • July 31 – Canadian Pacific makes the last run of a grain load in a boxcar with the final deliveries of grain to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
  • July 31 – The first low-floor light rail car in North America is received (from its manufacturer, Siemens) by Portland, Oregon's TriMet.

August events

  • August 12 – In Seoul, South Korea, the northern section of Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is extended from Yeouido to Kkachisan (). The merged company retains the name "Union Pacific" for all railroad operations.
  • September 14 – The York–Durham Heritage Railway begins operations on Canadian National's former branch between Uxbridge and Stouffville, Ontario.

October events

  • October 1 – The Norwegian Railway Inspectorate is created.
  • October 11 – In Seoul, South Korea, Line 7 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is opened from Jangnam to Koknuk University ().
  • Canadian National operates its last train of grain to be hauled in 40&nbsp;ft (12&nbsp;m) boxcars; CN SD40s numbered 5256 and 5051 depart Canora, Saskatchewan, with a train of 114 such boxcars bound for Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Thunder Bay, Ontario.
  • The Brahmaputra Mail train bombing: a bomb explodes a train travelling in Lower Assam in Eastern India, totally destroying three carriages of the train and derailing six more, killing at least 33 people.
  • In Seoul, South Korea, Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is extended from Wangsimni to Yeouido ().

References

Footnotes