May 2008 in rail transport

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This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in May 2008.

Events

May 5

• – Fortescue Metals Group wins another round in its long-running quest for third-party access to Pilbara railway lines. The Federal Court of Australia rejects Rio Tinto's claim that the National Competition Council should rely on a 1999 decision denying access to Robe River instead of considering Fortescue's recent application for access.^[1]

May 6

• – The New Zealand government will pay NZ$665 million to buy back railway and sea ferry operations that were privatized in the 1990s. "The selling of our public rail system in the early 1990s and the running down of the asset afterward has been a painful lesson for New Zealand," Finance Minister Michael Cullen said.^[2]
• – The Abu Dhabi emirate is planning to construct a railway system by the year 2015, to cope with the transportation problem of its ever increasing population, a senior transport official has said. The population of Abu Dhabi is expected to increase to more than three million people by 2030, and planners say it is 'a must' for Abu Dhabi, heavily reliant on a taxi service that often cannot cope with the demand, to have its own metro by 2015.^[3]

May 9

• – Network Rail is fined a record ₤14 million by Britain's Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). The fine is in response to infrastructure development overruns in recent years. Although passenger groups and some train operating companies supported Network Rail's appeal to spend the money on future infrastructure projects, the ORR maintained the need for a financial penalty.^[4]

May 11

• – Trolley accident on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, India. Two persons are killed outright and six others injured when they jump from the trolley after its brakes failed at Katteri, between Coonoor and Mettupalayam, one of the injured dying in a private hospital on May 13.^[5]

May 19

• – First ScotRail opens new Alloa railway station to passengers, following its official opening on May 15, restoring rail access to the town for the first time in forty years.^[6][7][8]

May 23

• – The state court in Osnabrück, Germany, fines track manager Guenter Steinmetz €24,000 and his successor Joerg Metzner €20,000, for 23 counts of manslaughter and 11 counts of causing negligent injury in the 2006 Lathen maglev train accident. A third defendant, traffic superintendent Guenther Mueller, is expected to stand trial at a later date for his decision to clear the train to proceed when, in fact, the line was blocked.^[9][10]

• Australia - Agreement to convert Seymour to Albury from one broad gauge and one standard gauge track to double track standard gauge, traveling to Oaklands and intermediate stations as gauge orphans.

May 28

• – Newton, Massachusetts rail accident An MBTA train on the Green Line collides with the rear of a second Green Line train that was stopped at a red signal. The crash happened around 6PM EDT between the Waban and Woodland Green Line stations on the Green Line's D Branch. The operator of one of the two trains was trapped within the train and subsequently died of her injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.^[11]

May 29

• – Officials at Weyerhauser announce plans to divest the company of four railway operations as well as the Westwood Shipping Line. The four railroads include De Queen and Eastern Railroad, Columbia and Cowlitz Railway, Mississippi and Skuna Valley Railroad and Golden Triangle Railroad, which comprise trackage in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Washington. The sale would allow Weyerhauser to concentrate on its core business.^[12][13][14]

May 30

• – The German Parliament votes to approve the sale of shares in the state-run railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB). Under the plan, private investors would be able to purchase up to 24.9% of DB, a plan that is expected to raise about €6 billion. While some officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, proposed selling up to 49.9% to private investors, the approved plan ensures that the German government will retain full operational control over DB.^[15]

References

1. Freed, Jamie (2008-05-06). "Fortescue jumps one railway barrier". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
2. "Buying back railway a priority for country". Toronto Star. 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
3. "Capital to have railway system in 7 years". Khaleej Times. 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
4. "Network Rail must pay record fine". BBC News. 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
5. "Toll in railway trolley mishap goes up". The Hindu. 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
6. "First passenger takes Alloa train". BBC News. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
7. "Alloa rail link 'to open in May'". BBC News. 2008-03-17. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
8. Perry, Jo (2008-05-15). "Trains back on track after 40 years". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
9. Parkin, Brian (2008-05-23). "German Court Fines Two Transrapid Supervisors After Fatal Crash". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
10. Reuters (2008-05-23). "Two convicted for German Transrapid deaths". Independent Online. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
11. "NTSB Sending Team to Investigate Commuter Train Collision near Boston" (Press release). United States National Transportation Safety Board. 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
12. "Weyerhaeuser seeks 'strategic alternatives' for short line subsidiaries". Progressive Railroading. 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
13. Kardos, Donna (2008-05-29). "Weyerhaeuser Explores Options For Westwood, Four Railroads". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
14. "Weyerhaeuser May Sell its Ships and Trains". Mason County Daily News. 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
15. DPA (2008-05-30). "German parliament clears way for railway privatization". Earth Times. Retrieved 2008-08-01.