- Britain's Department for Transport announces that the Gatwick Express service will be axed to free up space on the Brighton Main Line. The nonstop service currently operates on 15 minute intervals between London's Victoria station and Gatwick Airport with tickets priced at £25 (£38 for First Class). Instead of nonstop trains, the service to replace the Express would make additional stops en route to help commuter traffic along the line. It is still yet to be decided if the name Gatwick Express will remain part of the new service.[1]
- BNSF Railway temporarily shuts down passenger train operations between Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, due to dangerous conditions caused by high winds in the area. The winds blew debris and knocked down power lines, cutting electricity to about 160,000 homes and businesses. BNSF's shutdown began shortly before 1:25 PM Pacific Standard Time and was scheduled to end after 48 hours, affecting Amtrak and Sound Transit trains during the period; freight traffic in the area was not suspended.[2]
- Workers in Turkmenistan begin the final phase of construction on the Trans Karakum railway that will connect Aşgabat to Daşoguz, crossing the Karakum Desert. The new railway connection is expected to cut travel times between the two cities in half, bypassing the current circuitous route from Ashgabat through Mary and Lebap provinces and along the border with Uzbekistan. Once construction is completed, the official opening ceremony is expected to be held at the new Ichoguzstation on the border between Ahal and Daşoguz provinces.[4]
- Railway officials in Jerusalem announce that a new high speed rail service between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is expected to begin in 2010. The service would decrease travel time between the two cities to 28 minutes. Jerusalem will begin construction on a new underground train station in 2006 that will serve as the terminal for the service which trains will access via a 2,400-metre tunnel and a 1,200-metre bridge; additional stations are planned for Modi'in and at Ben-Gurion International Airport.[5]
- Slovakian railway officials announce that the bidding for Cargo Slovakia, the largest private rail freight carrier in Eastern Europe, is reduced to two bidders. MÁV, the Hungarian rail carrier, was eliminated because it submitted the lowest bid. The two remaining bidders are Cargo Central Europe, which is associated with Baltic Rail Services, offering €330 million and Cargo Rail Austria offering €340 million. These are still lower than the Slovakian government hoped to get for the system which Transport Minister Pavol Prokopovič had estimated at between €390 and €530 million. The winning bidder is expected to be announced before March, and the contracts are expected to be signed before April.[6]
- Genesee and Wyoming (G&W) announces that it has sold its 50% share in operations (the other 50% was owned by Westfarmers Ltd.) of the Australian Rairoad Group (ARG) in western Australia to Queensland Rail (QR) and Babcock & Brown Ltd. (B&B). The deal, valued at $974 million (A$1.55 billion), splits the holdings between operations and infrastructure elements with QR purchasing the above-rail operations and B&B purchasing the below-rail infrastructure. In a concurrent deal, G&W is purchasing Westfarmer's share of ARG in South Australia for $15 million (A$22 million), which will be renamed Genesee & Wyoming Australia Pty Ltd and operated as a subsidiary company of G&W.[7]
- The Disneyland Railroad holds an official dedication ceremony for its first new locomotive in almost 50 years and the return to service of a VIP parlor car after restoration. The new steam locomotive Ward Kimball, named in honor of Ward Kimball, the Disney animator who was himself known as a railfan and had built the Grizzly Flats Railroad, and the restored Lilly Bellepassenger car, named in honor of Lillian Disney, the wife of Walt Disney until his death in 1966, were dedicated in a ceremony at the Frontierland station in Disneyland park. The locomotive had entered service on June 25, 2005, as part of the park's 50th anniversary celebrations.[8][9]
- The United StatesSurface Transportation Board (STB) announces its final approval on Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's (DM&E) 1998 application to build a new railroad line from South Dakota into Wyoming's Powder River Basin to access the numerous coal mines in the area. The STB's initial approval in 2002 was appealed to the 8th US Circuit Court in South Dakota, but the court upheld the STB's approval with stipulations for the new line's environmental impact, including the projected increase in the frequency of train horn soundings along the line. From the court's ruling, the STB prepared a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement which sets forth mitigation strategies for the railroad. The STB's approval is expected to be finalized after a 30 day waiting period.[10][11]
- Service on JR East's Yamanote Line is suspended during the morning rush hour when engineers find a 15 metre long section of track that has sunk by about 2 cm. The affected track is between the Shinbashi and Hamamatsuchō stations, and the temporary closure beginning at 7:55 AM local time affected about 112,000 passengers. Many were held aboard trains that had already left their stations.[12]
- Chicago Transit Authority holds groundbreaking ceremonies for the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project to repair its aging infrastructure and increase passenger capacity at Brown Line stations.
- PCC Rail Szczakowa operates the first private passenger train in Poland. The service was contracted from PKP for four trial runs and used a 115-passenger DMU manufactured by PESA Bydoszcz. Plans to continue passenger services over the primarily freight-based railway infrastructure have not been announced; although any type of train can conceivably operate on this track, freight traffic predominates due to government subsidies.[14]
- Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) announces that Robert J. Ritchie, the railway's Chief Executive Officer will retire at the close of the company's annual meeting on May 5, 2006; James E. Newall, the Chairman of the Board, will also retire at the same time. CP's Board of Directors names Fred J. Green, who has served as president of the railway since November 2005, to become successor for the CEO position.[15]
- Britain's Department for Transport announces that the Gatwick Express service will be axed to free up space on the Brighton Main Line. The nonstop service currently operates on 15 minute intervals between London's Victoria station and Gatwick Airport with tickets priced at £25 (£38 for First Class). Instead of nonstop trains, the service to replace the Express would make additional stops en route to help commuter traffic along the line. It is still yet to be decided if the name Gatwick Express will remain part of the new service.[1]
- BNSF Railway temporarily shuts down passenger train operations between Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, due to dangerous conditions caused by high winds in the area. The winds blew debris and knocked down power lines, cutting electricity to about 160,000 homes and businesses. BNSF's shutdown began shortly before 1:25 PM Pacific Standard Time and was scheduled to end after 48 hours, affecting Amtrak and Sound Transit trains during the period; freight traffic in the area was not suspended.[2]
- Workers in Turkmenistan begin the final phase of construction on the Trans Karakum railway that will connect Aşgabat to Daşoguz, crossing the Karakum Desert. The new railway connection is expected to cut travel times between the two cities in half, bypassing the current circuitous route from Ashgabat through Mary and Lebap provinces and along the border with Uzbekistan. Once construction is completed, the official opening ceremony is expected to be held at the new Ichoguz station on the border between Ahal and Daşoguz provinces.[4]
- Railway officials in Jerusalem announce that a new high speed rail service between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is expected to begin in 2010. The service would decrease travel time between the two cities to 28 minutes. Jerusalem will begin construction on a new underground train station in 2006 that will serve as the terminal for the service which trains will access via a 2,400-metre tunnel and a 1,200-metre bridge; additional stations are planned for Modi'in and at Ben-Gurion International Airport.[5]
- Slovakian railway officials announce that the bidding for Cargo Slovakia, the largest private rail freight carrier in Eastern Europe, is reduced to two bidders. MÁV, the Hungarian rail carrier, was eliminated because it submitted the lowest bid. The two remaining bidders are Cargo Central Europe, which is associated with Baltic Rail Services, offering €330 million and Cargo Rail Austria offering €340 million. These are still lower than the Slovakian government hoped to get for the system which Transport Minister Pavol Prokopovič had estimated at between €390 and €530 million. The winning bidder is expected to be announced before March, and the contracts are expected to be signed before April.[6]
- Genesee and Wyoming (G&W) announces that it has sold its 50% share in operations (the other 50% was owned by Westfarmers Ltd.) of the Australian Rairoad Group (ARG) in western Australia to Queensland Rail (QR) and Babcock & Brown Ltd. (B&B). The deal, valued at $974 million (A$1.55 billion), splits the holdings between operations and infrastructure elements with QR purchasing the above-rail operations and B&B purchasing the below-rail infrastructure. In a concurrent deal, G&W is purchasing Westfarmer's share of ARG in South Australia for $15 million (A$22 million), which will be renamed Genesee & Wyoming Australia Pty Ltd and operated as a subsidiary company of G&W.[7]
- Service on JR East's Yamanote Line is suspended during the morning rush hour when engineers find a 15 metre long section of track that has sunk by about 2 cm. The affected track is between the Shinbashi and Hamamatsuchō stations, and the temporary closure beginning at 7:55 AM local time affected about 112,000 passengers. Many were held aboard trains that had already left their stations.[12]
- Officials in Thailand affirm that they will consider World Heritage Railway status for the Thailand-Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway. Thousands of British, Dutch and Australian nationals perished in the railway's prisoner of war construction camps during World War II, and the railway's construction served as the inspiration for the 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai. The campaign to gain heritage status is being led by Takashi Nagase, an English language teacher in Japan, who had served as an interpreter for the Japanese military during the war.[13]
- PCC Rail Szczakowa operates the first private passenger train in Poland. The service was contracted from PKP for four trial runs and used a 115-passenger DMU manufactured by PESA Bydoszcz. Plans to continue passenger services over the primarily freight-based railway infrastructure have not been announced; although any type of train can conceivably operate on this track, freight traffic predominates due to government subsidies.[14]
- Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) announces that Robert J. Ritchie, the railway's Chief Executive Officer will retire at the close of the company's annual meeting on May 5, 2006; James E. Newall, the Chairman of the Board, will also retire at the same time. CP's Board of Directors names Fred J. Green, who has served as president of the railway since November 2005, to become successor for the CEO position.[15]
