2002 in rail transport - Definition and Overview

This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 2002.

Events

January events

• January - The Muskingum Electric Railroad, one of only six heavy freight electric railroads in the United States, closes.
• January 2 - The Iowa Interstate Railroad operates its first unit coal train over the former Milwaukee Road mainline through Amana, Iowa.

April events

• April - United States President George W. Bush appoints David Gunn to head Amtrak.
• April - David Laney joins the Board of Directors for Amtrak.
• April 29 - The first Pendolino train, operated by Virgin Trains, arrives at Euston Station in London, England.

May events

• May 2 - An eastbound Canadian National train collides with a trailer near Firmdale, Manitoba, Canada; about 20 cars carrying plastic pellets, benzene, glycol and hexane catch fire, forcing the evacuation of nearly 200 local residents.
• May 10 - The Potters Bar rail crash occurs at Potters Bar, north of London, England, when a northbound passenger train derails at high speed, killing seven and seriously injuring another eleven.

July events

• July 26 - The German manufacturer of rail equipment, Vassloh, announces the acquisition of the French company Cogifer.
• July 31 - The Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad takes over operations from the defunct I&M Rail Link in the north central United States.

August events

• August 1 - Deutsche Bahn opens the high-speed line between Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany.

December events

• December - National Express Group hands back it's M>Train, M>Tram and V/Line public transport franchises in Victoria, Australia to the state government due to financial instability, leaving Connex as the only privatised rail operator in the state.
• December 15 - All first-class cars on the TGV become non-smoking cars.
• December 27 - The first X'Trapolis train enters service with Connex in Melbourne, Australia.

Unknown date events

• Robert Krebs resigns as chairman of the board of directors for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
• The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad and the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad are combined under the holding company Cedar American Rail Holdings.

Deaths

References

• Some of the events listed here were translated from 2003 dans les chemins de fer (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_dans_les_chemins_de_fer), the equivalent French-language Wikipedia article.
• (May 2002), Iowa Interstate operates first coal train to Cedar Rapids, Trains Magazine, p. 22.
• Reh, Vincent (February 2002), Muskingum Electric Railroad just about done, Trains Magazine, p. 22-23.