August 2007 in rail transport

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This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in August 2007.

Events

August 1 - August 4

August 1

– The Benaleka train crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo kills over 100.

August 5 - August 11

August 6

• – Officials with Washington Metro in Washington, D.C., release ridership figures for the month of July 2007 that show an all-time record ridership of 19,281,809 passengers for the month, which equates to an average of 768,831 trips aboard the system per day. The busiest day occurred on July 18, when 803,164 trips aboard Metrorail trains were completed. The previous record month was June 2007 when 19,085,358 Metrorail trips were completed.^[1]

August 9

• – Walter Rich, Chairman of Delaware Otsego Corporation, New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad and Central New York Railroad, dies after a prolonged battle against pancreatic cancer (born 1946).^[2]

August 12 - August 18

August 13

• – The government of Himachal Pradesh, India, declares the Kalka-Shimla Railway, which opened in 1903, a heritage property in preparation for its review in September. For about a week starting on September 11, 2007, an expert team from UNESCO will visit the railway to review and inspect the railway for possible selection as a World Heritage Site. After the team submits its report, the status of the railway's selection would likely be made in July 2008. If the selection is made, the railway would become the fourth rail property in India to be selected.^[3][4]

August 15

• – Henry Tang, the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong, presides over the opening ceremonies for the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. The new 7.4 km (4.6 mi) line is the second rail link between Hong Kong and Shenzhen city in China; it was planned and built to help relieve congestion on other mainland connections.^[5]

August 19 - August 25

August 19

• – A federal judge in Minnesota, United States, issues a decision in favor of the plaintiff in a suit brought by the United Transportation Union (UTU) against Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway (DWP, a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway) over train speeds through the town of Orr, Minnesota. In the decision, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Davis ruled that states, cities and towns have the power to dictate the maximum train speeds over level crossings within their jurisdictions. In this suit, the UTU cited public safety concerns in arguing that DWP's maximum speed of 60 mph (97 km/h) through Orr should be reduced to 30 mph (48 km/h). Following the decision, CN filed its appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.^[6]

August 23

• – Construction begins in China on a new line that will host only passenger train traffic between Harbin, Dalian, Changchun and Shenyang. The new line will have a total of 23 stations and is being built to help relieve congestion on the Harbin-Dalian railway which also sees freight traffic. Once the new line opens, which is currently scheduled for 2013, passenger traffic will be shifted off the existing Harbin-Dalian line so it can be used for freight more efficiently. The project is estimated to cost 92.3 billion yuan ($12 billion).^[7]

August 26 - August 31

August 30

• – 2007 Rio de Janeiro train crash: Two trains collide killing eleven.

August 31

• – Transportation officials in India announce the promotion of Shri K. C. Jena to the position of Chairman of the Railway Board which oversees Indian Railways. Jena began his railway career in 1971 with Indian Railways' Traffic Service; he worked his way up through various promotions where he worked to improve India's passenger train service to eventually become a member of the Railway Board on July 31, 2006. In 2007, Jena named the recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award.^[8]

Unknown date events

• - Construction is expected to start on Santiago light rail.

References

1. "Metrorail breaks the all-time ridership record by carrying 19.2 million people in July" (Press release). Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority. 2007-08-06. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
2. Grace, Tom (2007-08-10). "Railroad chairman Rich dies". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2007-08-10.
3. Press Trust of India (2007-08-08). "Toy train set to enter UNESCO heritage list". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
4. "HP declares Kalka-Shimla railway as 'heritage' property". The Hindu. 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
5. "Second HK-Shenzhen railway line opens to traffic". China Daily. 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
6. Press Associates, Inc. (2007-08-19). "Judge's ruling could improve railroad safety". WorkDay Minnesota. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
7. "Work begins on Harbin-Dalian railway line". China Daily. 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
8. "K C Jena takes over as Chairman, Railway Board" (Press release). Government of India Press Information Bureau. 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2007-08-31.