1999 in rail transport - Definition and Overview

This article will list 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.

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.

December events

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

Unknown date events

• David 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