2016 in rail transport

Years in rail transport

2015 in rail transport 2016 in rail transport 2017 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that are currently scheduled to occur in 2016. Please be aware that the actual dates that these events occur on may differ substantially from what is shown here.

Events

January events

• January 22–24 – In anticipation of heavy snowfall and preparation for the effects of winter storm Jonas, Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) shuts down all services for the weekend. Metrorail services were suspended completely for two days and was restored to normal service in phases up until January 29. During the shutdown, trains were stored in the system's subway tunnels to shelter them from the storm.^[1][2]

February events

• February 27 – The DC Streetcar opens, after several years of delays.^[3]

March events

• March 5 – The Gold Line Foothill Extension in Los Angeles County, California opens, extending the Metro Rail light rail system by 11.5 miles (18.5 km) to Azusa, California.^[4]
• March 19
  • The first phase of Valley Metro Rail's Northwest Extension in Phoenix, Arizona opens.^[5]
  • Sound Transit opens a Link Light Rail extension in Seattle, Washington to the University of Washington campus.^[6]
• March 22 – 2016 Brussels bombings: 21 are killed by a terrorist suicide bomb in a subway car at Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.
• March 26 – The first segment of the Hokkaido Shinkansen opens, bringing high-speed rail service to Hokkaido.^[7]

April events

• April 5 – Indian Railways (Northern Railway zone) inaugurates semi high speed luxury Gatimaan Express between Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station and Agra Cantonment.^[8]
• April 22 – The A Line in Denver, Colorado, an electrified commuter rail link between Union Station and Denver International Airport owned by RTD, begins service.^[9]

May events

• May 20 – Expected opening of the extension of the Expo Line light rail in Los Angeles, California to Santa Monica, California.^[10]

August events

• – The western extension of Helsinki Metro expected to be completed.^[11]

December events

• – completion of Gotthard Base Tunnel.^[12][13]
• December 30 – Phase I of New York City's Second Avenue Subway is expected to be completed.^[14]

Unknown date events

• – Expected opening of phase 2 of LGV Est, extending the line from Baudrecort to Vendenheim near Strasbourg.^[15]
• – Expected completion of LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire from Le Mans to Rennes.^[16]
• – Expected completion of LGV Sud Europe Atlantique from Tours to Bordeaux.^[17]
• – Earliest expected date for completion of construction on the "Metro North" phase of the Dublin Metro system. Metro North is the key Metro project in Dublin, linking Dublin International Airport with the city centre.^[18]
• – The double-track high-speed section from Larvik to Porsgrunn on the Vestfold Line, including the Grenland Tunnel, is expected to open.^[19]
• – Tuas West extension, a 7.5-kilometre (4.7 mi) extension of the East West MRT Line in Singapore, scheduled to open.^[20]
• – Completion of the Downtown Line Stage 2 (Bugis - Bukit Panjang)
• – Expected opening of the Wachusett station near Boston, Massachusetts, extending the MBTA Commuter Rail system by 4.5 miles (7.2 km).^[21]
• – Expected opening of the South Oak Cliff extension of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Blue Line.^[22]
• – Expected opening of five FasTracks projects in Denver, Colorado, including three commuter rail lines (A Line, B Line and G Line) and two light rail lines (H Line extension and R Line).^[23]
• – Expected opening of the Perris Valley extension of the 91 Line, a commuter rail line operated by Metrolink in Southern California, from Riverside to Perris.^[24]
• – Expected opening of the Warm Springs station on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in San Francisco, California.^[25]
• – Expected opening of the first phase of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit in Sonoma County, California, between San Rafael and Santa Rosa.^[26]
• – Expected opening of Link Light Rail extension in Seattle, Washington from SeaTac Airport to Angle Lake by Sound Transit.^[27]

References

1. Halsey, Ashley, III; Duggan, Paul (January 21, 2016). "D.C. region braces for epic blizzard; Metro to shut down subway, bus lines". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
2. Lazo, Luz (January 28, 2016). "Metro says all its bus routes are up and running Thursday". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
3. Laris, Michael (February 27, 2016). "D.C. streetcar makes its first voyages on H Street. ‘Is it really happening?’". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
4. Nelson, Laura J. (March 5, 2016). "Metro Gold Line extension tests San Gabriel Valley's support for transit". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
5. Goth, Brenna (December 10, 2015). "Northwest Phoenix light-rail extension to open in March". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
6. Beekman, Daniel (March 19, 2016). "Capitol Hill, UW light-rail stations open to big crowds". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
7. "Hokkaido Shinkansen Line opens, cutting Tokyo-Hakodate travel time by 53 minutes". The Japan Times. March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
8. "Agra in 100 minutes from Delhi, courtesy Gatimaan Express, India's fastest train". IndiaToday. New Delhi. April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
9. Whaley, Monte; Aguilar, John (April 22, 2016). "A-train to Denver airport opens to public, hundreds wait to ride". The Denver Post. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
10. Nelson, Laura J. (February 25, 2016). "Metro Expo Line to begin service to Santa Monica on May 20". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
11. "Seven-year project to be completed in August". Retrieved 24 April 2016.
12. "Swiss near breakthrough on world's longest tunnel". BBC News. October 15, 2010. Archived from the original on October 16, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
13. "Gotthard Base Tunnel to be operational from 2016". AlpTransit. August 22, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
14. "Transit Committee Agenda October/November 2012" (PDF). Metropolitan Transit Authority. November 26, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
15. "LGV Est européenne". Retrieved January 2, 2013.
16. "Work starts on LGV Bretagne". Railway Gazette International. July 31, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
17. "RFF agrees terms for Tours – Bordeaux PPP concession". Railway Gazette International. July 16, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
18. Byrne, Cormac (June 10, 2010). "Blow as Metro West is hit by more delays in cash squeeze". Herald.ie. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
19. "Vestfoldbanen" (in Norwegian). Norwegian National Rail Administration. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
20. "Tuas West Extension construction underway". Railway Gazette International. May 15, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
21. "MBTA Wachusett Commuter Rail Extension Project". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
22. Fromby, Brandon (January 3, 2016). "DART streetcar, D-Link changes are prelude to expansions". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
23. Sisk, Chuck (October 30, 2014). "10 years later, RTD's FasTracks is transforming the region". The Denver Post. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
24. Weikel, Dan (December 11, 2015). "Metrolink expansion to Perris is dedicated ahead of its 2016 opening". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
25. Ramos, Julian J. (October 22, 2015). "Warm Springs BART station opening delayed in Fremont". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
26. Cabanatuan, Michael (August 31, 2015). "SMART trains en route to North Bay; line to open in 2016". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
27. "South 200th Link Extension". Sound Transit Projects & Plans. Sound Transit. Retrieved October 13, 2014.