March 2006 in rail transport

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This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in March 2006.

Events

• – Namibia was expected in March to complete a railway connection to Ondangwa, a project that was begun in 2002.^[1]

March 1

• – Members of the Korean Railway Workers' Union begin a strike action against Korean National Railroad (Korail). Systemwide passenger service is reduced by 60% and freight service is also drastically reduced during the strike. Union members called the strike to protest Korail's practice of replacing regular long-term positions with short-term contract positions. See also: South Korean railroad strike of 2006.

March 2

• – In an effort to increase punctuality and on-time performance on Great Britain's West Coast Main Line, Virgin Trains issues new chronometers to its staff. The chronometers, issued as part of the railway's "Every Second Counts" employee awareness campaign, use radio frequencies to update and synchronize themselves to a centralized atomic clock that keeps them accurate to within one second every three million years. The push for punctuality comes after staff found that the current chronometers weren't always well synchronized which led to problems including trains not being where they were expected at precise times; the delays due to the inaccuracies compounded on top of each other to reduce the system's on-time figures.^[2]

March 6

• – Officials in Beijing announce plans to begin construction of a second commercial maglev train system in China by the end of 2006. The new line to connect Shanghai and Hangzhou, which is expected to take four years to complete construction, is hoped to be in service for Expo 2010 taking place that year in Shanghai.^[3]
• – Bhutan's ambassador to India, Nepal and Japan announces that work has begun on a feasibility study to establish a rail link between Bhutan and India. The study, carried out by RITES, a subsidiary of Indian Railways, is expected by the end of 2006. Five lines are so far being investigated, including Hansimara-Phuntseling, Banarhat-Sanchi, Khokrajhor-Gellipuh, Pathsala-Nangalam and Darrang-Samdrupjong. Once a route is selected, construction is expected to begin by 2007.^[4]

March 7

• – 2006 Varanasi bombings – A series of bombings occurs across the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, India, including an explosion at Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station. Initially another blast was reported inside the stationary Shivganga Express bound for Delhi, however this was later discounted.

March 9

• – Groundbreaking ceremonies are held in Dublin, Ireland, on Spencer Station, the first new train station to be built in the city in more than 100 years. The first shovelfuls of dirt were turned by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen. The new station, which is valued at €30 million, will serve the Maynooth and Navan lines and is planned as part of an extension of the city's Luas light rail system to the north docks area. The new station, part of the Transport 21 plan announced in 2005, is expected to open in mid-2007.^[5]

March 15

• – At the sixth meeting of the Franco-German Council of Ministers, the new railway bridge over the Rhine between Strasbourg and Kehl is authorized.^[6]

March 17

• – Heads of the Russian Railways Company (OAO), South Korean Railroad, and the North Korean Railroad Minister met in Vladivostok to discuss linking the Trans-Korean Railroad and the Trans-Siberian Railway. The link between North and South Korea has been completed but has yet to be tested. An International consortium was created between the three parties to facilitate reconstruction and linking of the railroads. It was decided to begin the project by connecting the North Korean town of Najin (Rajin) and Russia's Hasan. The 55 km (34 mi) link may take up to 2 years to build because of differences in rail gauges.

March 19

• – Traffic on Moscow Metro's Zamoskvoretskaya Line is halted when a concrete beam falls from the roof of the subway's tunnel and strikes a passing train. No injuries were reported among the train's passengers, who were all safely evacuated. The collapse is believed to be caused by construction work installing a billboard above the site of the accident. Radislav Lyba, the head of Polyus-M company which was installing the billboard, has been detained and could face up to five years in prison because the contractors were working without any permits.^[7][8][9]

March 21

• – The former Canadian Pacific Railway bunkhouse in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, originally built in 1943 to serve passengers traveling by rail between Toronto and Owen Sound, is completely destroyed by fire. It is believed that the fire was caused by faulty wiring in a lighting fixture on the structure's first floor; flames from the initial fire travelled up the walls, following the path of the cloth insulation on the building's wiring, to the attic area. Monetary damages from the fire are estimated at $200,000, but "you can't replace a heritage building," added the fire chief on the scene.^[10][11]

March 24

• – Boca Raton-based RailAmerica transfers ownership of E&N Railway on Canada's Vancouver Island to the non-profit Island Corridor Foundation. RailAmerica is selling E&N for US$850,000 cash and a $300,000 promissory note, and will continue operating the railway until the new owners are able to take over, the deadline for which is June 30, 2006. The new owners are hoping to inaugurate passenger train services over the line.^[12][13]

• – Officials with the Portuguese firm Mota-Engil announce that the company will begin building a trans-Andean railway line in April 2006 that will connect Argentina and Chile. Construction of the new Transandino del Sur railway will begin near the Argentine city of Zapala and will run from there for the 50 km (31 mi) to the Chilean border; Mota-Engil expects to complete this section by 2008. From the border, the contract to build the segment to the Chilean city of Lonquimay, 170 km (110 mi) further, will be up for international bidding.^[14] Argentina and Chile both use 1676 mm gauge.

March 27

• – The Chinese firm Jiangsu Zhongye Iron and Steel Company announces that it has joined the bidding for the purchase of Brazil's Novoeste, which is currently controlled by Brasil Ferrovias. Novoeste's railway line connects Corumbá, on the Colombian border with the port city of Santos, providing a fast transport and export route for iron and manganese mined in the region. Already in the bidding are Asila of Korea, Brazil's Ferrocarril Central and All America Latina Logistica.^[15]

References

1. AllAfrica.com (August 31, 2005), Railway Project to End Next March. Retrieved August 31, 2005.
2. RailStaff (March 2, 2006), Atomic Power for Virgin Staff. Retrieved March 8, 2006.
3. Xinhua (March 6, 2006), Maglev railway to link Hangzhou, Shanghai. Retrieved March 6, 2006.
4. Kolkata Newsline (March 6, 2006), India, Bhutan to start work for railway linkage by 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2006.
5. IOL (March 9, 2006), Cullen turns sod on new Dublin city railway station. Retrieved March 9, 2006.
6. "15 mars dans les chemins de fer". French language Wikipedia (in French). February 16, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2007.
7. InterFax (March 19, 2006), All passengers evacuated after metro tunnel collapse. Retrieved March 20, 2006.
8. Associated Press (reprinted by RadioFreeEurope, March 20, 2006), Man Detained Over Moscow Metro Incident. Retrieved March 20, 2006.
9. Itar-Tass (March 20, 2006), Director of firm detained over Moscow subway incident. Retrieved March 20, 2006.
10. Hargrave, Mandi (March 23, 2006), Piece of railway history burns to the ground. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
11. Criscione, Peter (March 24, 2006), Fire destroys historic bunkhouse. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
12. RailAmerica (March 23, 2006), RailAmerica Transfers Ownership of E&N Railway to the Island Corridor Foundation. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
13. South Florida Business Journal (March 24, 2006), RailAmerica sells E&N Railway. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
14. MacauHub (March 27, 2006). "Portugal's Mota-Engil to build railroad between Argentina and Chile". Retrieved March 29, 2006.
15. MacauHub (March 28, 2006). "Chinese company proposes to buy Brazilian railway". Retrieved March 29, 2006.