This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 2002. Contents 1 Events 1.1 January events 1.2 February events 1.3 April events 1.4 May events 1.5 June events 1.6 July events 1.7 August events 1.8 September events 1.9 October events 1.10 November events 1.11 December events 1.12 Unknown date events 2 Accidents 3 Births 4 Deaths 5 Awards 5.1 North America 5.2 United Kingdom 6 References Events January events January - The Muskingum Electric Railroad one of only six heavy freight electric railroads in the United States closes.1 January 2 - The Iowa Interstate Railroad operates its first unit coal train over the former Milwaukee Road mainline through Amana Iowa.2 January 14 - The British Strategic Rail Authority unveils its 10-year strategic plan for the national railway network including a 4.5bn investment in new trains improved station facilities track repair and signalling work.3 January 18 - The Minot train derailment occurred in Minot North Dakota on when a Canadian Pacific Railway freight train derailed spilling hazardous materials. January 27 - St Albans railway line block signalling and electrification extended to Sydenham. February events February - Australias National Rail Corporation's freight operations and assets are combined with the New South Wales Government-owned FreightCorp and sold to Toll Holdings and Patrick Corporation as Pacific National. February 6 - The Charlotte's Dale train crash was the collision of a commuter and a freight train near Durban in South Africa which killed 24 people. February 8 - Changi Airport MRT Station on the Singapore MRT System is opened giving the airport its first rail link in 21 years. February 21 - The Al Ayyat train disaster occurred in Egypt when a train running from Cairo to Luxor caught fire. The official death toll is 383 but many believe the true figure to be nearer 1000. April events April - United States President George W. Bush appoints David L. Gunn to head Amtrak. April - David Laney joins the Board of Directors for Amtrak. April 4 - General Motors Electro-Motive Division and Porterbrook are awarded a contract to build new diesel locomotives for the first open access rail freight carrier in Belgium.4 April 17 - Robert Krebs resigns as chairman of the board of directors for the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway and is replaced by company CEO Matthew K. Rose.5 Virgin Trains Class 390 Pendolino at Euston April 29 - The first Class 390 Pendolino train operated by Virgin Trains arrives at Euston Station in London England. May events May - The Metrolink 91 Line opens for service between Los Angeles and Riverside California. May 2 - An eastbound Canadian National train collides with a trailer near Firmdale Manitoba Canada; about 20 cars carrying plastic pellets benzene glycol and hexane catch fire forcing the evacuation of nearly 200 local residents.6 May 10 - The Potters Bar rail crash occurs at Potters Bar north of London England when a northbound passenger train derails at high speed killing seven and seriously injuring another eleven. May 13 - Jaunpur train crash: the Shramjivi Express travelling from New Delhi to Patna India strikes a sabotaged section of rail and derails at Jaunpur Uttar Pradesh killing 12 people. May 25 - The Tenga rail disaster of May 2002 occurred at Tenga 40 km north-west from Maputo Mozambique; there were 192 deaths with 167 injured. June events June 4 - The Kasganj level crossing disaster happened near the town of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh India. An express train collided with a bus killing 49 people. June 12 - The Talgo XXI trainset sets the land speed record for railed vehicles with diesel power at 256.38 km/h (159.3 mph). June 24 - In the Igandu train disaster a large passenger train in Tanzania with over 1200 people on board rolls backwards down a hill into a stationary goods train killing 281 people. July events July 1 Norges Statsbaner is privatised under the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications. The railroad dining car catering services of Mitropa which was founded in 1916 are handed over to DB Reise & Touristik AG a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn. July 4 - General Motors Electro-Motive Division announces that it will build new locomotives for HSBC Rail; the locomotives will be leased by CargoNet for use in Norway north of the Arctic Circle and are expected to enter service after February 2003.7 July 26 - The German manufacturer of rail equipment Vossloh announces the acquisition of the French company Cogifer. July 30 - The Iowa Chicago and Eastern Railroad takes over operations from the defunct I&M Rail Link in the north central United States.8 August events August 1 - Deutsche Bahn opens the high-speed line between Frankfurt and Cologne Germany. September events September 10 - At least 130 people are killed in the Rafiganj train disaster in India where a passenger train derails on a bridge and falls into a river. Naxalite sabotage is suspected. October events October 31 - BC Rail operates the last run of the Cariboo Prospector passenger train between Prince George and North Vancouver British Columbia. November events November 22 The Toronto Transit Commission opens the Sheppard Subway connecting the Sheppard-Yonge and Don Mills stations.9 November 23 Expansion opens at Fremont-Centerville (Amtrak station). December events December - National Express Group hands back its M>Train M>Tram and V/Line public transport franchises in Victoria Australia to the state government due to financial instability. December - The Thoku Shinkansen in Japan is extended from Morioka to Hachinohe. December 10 - Inauguration Belgian High Speed Line 2 (HSL 2 - Leuven<>Ans) by Prince Philippe Duke of Brabant. December 15 - All first-class cars on the TGV become non-smoking cars. December 21 - The Kurnool train crash happened in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh India when a passenger train derailed killing 20 people. December 24 - First line of the Delhi Metro is inaugurated in India.10 December 27 - The first X'Trapolis train enters service with Connex in Melbourne Australia. Unknown date events The Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad and the Iowa Chicago and Eastern Railroad are combined under the holding company Cedar American Rail Holdings. Completion of 360 km of dual gauge track on Bangladesh Railway improving connections between the previously isolated east and west networks and giving 1676 mm gauge access to Dhaka the capital.11 Accidents v d eRailway accidents in 2002 (2002) Location and date

Minot ND United States (18 January)  Charlotte's Dale South Africa (6 February)  Al Ayyat Egypt (21 February)  Potters Bar England (10 May)  Jaunpur India (13 May)  Tenga Mozambique (25 May)  Kasganj India (4 June)  Igandu Tanzania (24 June)  Rafiganj India (10 September)  Kurnool India (21 December) 2001 2003 Births The template below (Empty section) is being considered for deletion. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. Deaths The template below (Empty section) is being considered for deletion. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. Awards North America 2002 E. H. Harriman Awards Group Gold medal Silver medal Bronze medal A Norfolk Southern Railway     B   Metra   C       S&T Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis Conrail   Awards presented by Railway Age magazine 2002 Railroader of the Year: E. Hunter Harrison (BN IC CN) 2002 Regional Railroad of the Year: Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad 2002 Short Line Railroad of the Year: Winchester and Western Railroad United Kingdom Train Operator of the Year 2002: References

Some of the events listed here were translated from 2002 dans les chemins de fer the equivalent French-language Wikipedia article. Reh Vincent (February 2002). "Muskingum Electric Railroad just about done". Trains Magazine: p. 2223.  "Iowa Interstate operates first coal train to Cedar Rapids". Trains Magazine: p. 22. May 2002.  Left Sarah (2002-01-15). "Key dates in Britain's railway history". The Guardian Unlimited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0276363395100.html.  General Motors Electro-Motive Division (April 4 2002). "EMD and Porterbrook Win Contract For First Belgian Private Railway". Press release. http://www.emdiesels.com/en/company/news/links/20020404PorterbrookBelgian.html. Retrieved 2005-04-13.  BNSF Railway (2002-03-21). "BNSF Board Elects CEO Matt Rose Chairman Succeeding Rob Krebs Who is Retiring". Press release. http://www.bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2002/03/2002-03-21-a.html. Retrieved 2006-12-06.  "Significant dates in Canadian railway history". Colin Churcher's Railway Pages. August 16 2005. http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-21.  General Motors Electro-Motive Division (July 4 2002). "EMD to provide locomotives to Norway". Press release. http://www.emdiesels.com/en/company/news/links/20020704NorwayHSBC.html. Retrieved 2005-04-13.  Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (July 29 2002). "IMRL Sale Final; IC&E Begins Operations Tomorrow". Press release. http://dmerail.com/News/ICEPRES2.htm. Retrieved 2005-04-02.  "Toronto Transit Commission - History". City of Toronto. http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/history.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-22.  "Indian PM launches Delhi metro". BBC News. 2002-12-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/southasia/2602907.stm. Retrieved 2010-04-22.  Choudhury Iqbaluddin; Rahman Mostafizur (2002). "Jamuna bridge and dual-gauging unite the BR network". Railway Gazette International 158: 3267. http://www.railwaygazette.com/newsview/article/2002/06/3509/jamunabridgeanddualgaugingunitethebrnetwork.html. dead link