Events

January

* January 4 –

Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash On 4 January 2018, a passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collided with a truck at a level crossing at Geneva Station between Hennenman and Kroonstad, in the Free State, South Africa. The train derailed, and seven of the twelve carriages ...

. * January 13 – Opening of Phase 1 (

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...

) portion of Brightline higher-speed rail in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. * January 19 – The first train of

Bay Area Rapid Transit Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves 50 stations along six routes on of rapid transit lines, including a spur line in eastern Contra Costa County which use ...

's Fleet of the Future enters revenue service. * January 25 –

Pioltello train derailment On 25 January 2018, a commuter train operated by Trenord derailed in Pioltello when two of its carriages came off the track en route to Milan. The incident left 3 women dead and more than 100 people injured, of whom 46 needed medical assistance ...

: At least three people are killed and over 100 injured in a

train derailment In rail transport, a derailment occurs when a rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails. Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway system and they are a potentially ...

near

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. * January 31 ** –

2018 Crozet, Virginia train crash The Crozet, Virginia train crash was a railway accident that occurred on January 31, 2018. A chartered Amtrak train named Congressional Special Train 923, following the route normally used by the Amtrak ''Cardinal'' and carrying a group of p ...

. ** – The first Class 331 EMU for

Arriva Rail North Arriva Rail North, branded as Northern by Arriva (legal name Arriva Rail North Limited) was a train operating company in Northern England which began operating the Northern franchise on 1 April 2016 and inherited units from the previous operat ...

in England is unveiled at the CAF factory in

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tribut ...

February

* February 4 – An

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

passenger train collides with a freight train at

Cayce, South Carolina Cayce ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, along the Congaree River. The population was 12,528 at the 2010 census and rose to 13,789 in the 2020 United States Census, and it is the third-most populated municipality in Lexington Co ...

and is derailed; two people are killed. * February 22 –

China Railway Corporation China State Railway Group Company, Ltd., doing business as China Railway (CR), is the national passenger and freight railroad corporation of the People's Republic of China. China Railway operates passenger and freight transport throughout Ch ...

records 12.2 million passenger trips taken on the company's trains today, setting a new record for services following the Spring Festival holiday. Known as '

Chunyun Chunyun (; literally translated as “Spring transportation”), also referred to as the Spring Festival travel rush or the Chunyun period, is a period of travel in China with extremely high traffic load around the time of the Chinese New Year. ...

,' the travel rush around the holiday is the busiest time for rail travel on the network every year.

March

* March 9 – Official reopening of rail link between

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

and

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

. * March 13 – Citing infrastructure age and maintenance, Broadmoor, the operator of the

Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway (also known as the Pikes Peak Cog Railway) is a cog railway that climbs one of the most iconic mountains in the United States, Pikes Peak in Colorado. The base station is in Manitou Springs, nea ...

, announces that the railway would remain closed for 2018; it is subsequently expected to reopen in 2021 after reconstruction. * March 16 ** – Opening of the

Lynx Blue Line The Lynx Blue Line is a light rail line in Charlotte, North Carolina. Opened in 2007, it was the first rail line of the Charlotte Area Transit System, and the first major rapid rail service of any kind in the state. The 26-station, line extend ...

Extension in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

. ** – The last run of Odakyu, JR and Tokyo Metro jointly operated Tama Express (total length was 64.3 km). * March 20 – IRIR opens Arak–

Kermanshah Kermanshah ( fa, کرمانشاه, Kermânšâh ), also known as Kermashan (; romanized: Kirmaşan), is the capital of Kermanshah Province, located from Tehran in the western part of Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population is 946,68 ...

(267 km). * March 21 – The last run of JR-East 115 Series in Takasaki Area. However, Shinano Railway trainsets are still in service. * – Florida-based Kirby Family Farm purchases some railroad cars from the now-defunct Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Corporation.

April

* April 4 ** – Introduction of through

Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated sep ...

services between

London St Pancras International St Pancras railway station (), also known as London St Pancras or St Pancras International and officially since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is ...

and

Amsterdam Centraal Amsterdam Centraal Station ( nl, italic=no, Station Amsterdam Centraal ; abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheel ...

. ** –

Rail transport in Cambodia Cambodia has of metre gauge rail network, consisting of two lines: one from the capital Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, and another from Phnom Penh to Poipet on the Thai border. The lines were originally constructed during the time when the co ...

: Reopening of line from

Poipet Poipet ( km, ប៉ោយប៉ែត, ) is a boomtown on the Cambodian- Thai border, in Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province. It is a key crossing point between the two countries, and also extremely popular as a gambling des ...

Sisophon Serei Saophoan ( km, សិរីសោភ័ណ, UNGEGN: ; lit. 'Beautiful Freedom') is the capital and largest city of the Banteay Meanchey Province and the fourth most populous city in Cambodia. The city separates Cambodia's National H ...

. * April 10 –

: Opening of branch to

Phnom Penh International Airport Phnom Penh International Airport ( km, អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិភ្នំពេញ; french: Aéroport international de Phnom Penh) is the busiest and largest airport in Cambodia, occupying a land ar ...

May

* May 1 – Opening of KTM's

Skypark Link Skypark Link is a limited express train service in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between (KL Sentral) and Subang Airport. It is Malaysia's second airport rail link service, after the Express Rail Link (KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit). Operated by Kereta ...

. * May 9 – Re-opening of

London Bridge station London Bridge is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Southwark, south-east London. It occupies a large area on three levels immediately south-east of London Bridge, from which it takes its name. The ...

which officially concludes the

Thameslink Programme The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, was a £6billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the ...

, separating the

Brighton Main Line The Brighton Main Line (also known as the South Central Main Line) is a major railway line in the United Kingdom that links Brighton, on the south coast of England, with central London. In London the line has two branches, out of and station ...

from the Southeastern Main Line. * May 14 –

Burbank Airport–North station Burbank Airport–North station is a Metrolink rail station in the city of Burbank, California. Passengers on the Antelope Valley Line, which travels between Lancaster, California and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, can connect with th ...

opened in Burbank, California, providing additional Metrolink connections to the

Hollywood Burbank Airport Hollywood Burbank Airport, legally and formerly marketed as Bob Hope Airport after entertainer Bob Hope , is a public airport northwest of downtown Burbank, in Los Angeles County, California, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. eff ...

. * May 21 ** – GE announces the sale of its railroad manufacturing division

GE Transportation GE Transportation is a division of Wabtec. It was known as GE Rail and owned by General Electric until sold to Wabtec on February 25, 2019. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generati ...

Wabtec Wabtec Corporation (derived from Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation) is an American company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) and MotivePower Industries Corporation in 1999. It is headquartered ...

. ** – Last run of

Tobu 1800 series The was an express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by the private railway operator Tobu Railway in Japan from 1969 to 2018. Formation One six-car set remained in operation until May 2018, which was based at Minami-Kurihashi ...

. * May 26 – Opening of

eBART eBART (East Contra Costa County BART extension) is the project name for a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) branch line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in eastern Contra Costa County, California, ...

line. * end May – New

Beskydy Tunnel The Beskydy Tunnel ( uk, Бескидський тунель) is a railway tunnel of the Lviv Railways between the towns of Beskid and Skotarske and passes through the Carpathian Mountains under the Volovets Pass. As the second-longest tunnel in ...

opens on

Lviv Railways Lviv Railways (abbreviated as LR) ( uk, Львівська залізниця) is a territorial branch company of Ukrzaliznytsia headquartered in Lviv. General description Lviv Railways administers all railroads of Lviv Oblast, Zakarpattia Oblas ...

June

* June 16 – Opening of the

Hartford Line The Hartford Line is a commuter rail service between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, using the Amtrak-owned New Haven–Springfield Line. The project is a joint venture between the states of Connecticut and Massachuse ...

, a

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are co ...

line between

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

and Springfield, Massachusetts via Hartford, Connecticut. * June 24 –

London North Eastern Railway London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by the DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big F ...

takes over

InterCity East Coast InterCity East Coast is a railway franchise for passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom from London King's Cross to Hull, Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen. It was f ...

franchise from

Virgin Trains East Coast Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) (legal name East Coast Main Line Company Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the ...

July

* July 8 –

Çorlu train derailment The Çorlu train derailment was a fatal railway accident which occurred in 2018 at the Çorlu district of Tekirdağ Province in northwestern Turkey when a train derailed, killing 24 passengers and injuring 318, including 42 severely. Accident ...

; 24 killed. * July 12 –

Abuja Light Rail Abuja Rail Mass Transit commonly known as Abuja Light Rail is a regional rail transport system in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. It is the first rapid transit system in the country, West Africa, and the second such system in sub-saha ...

begins operation. * July 21 –

Amsterdam Metro The Amsterdam Metro ( nl, Amsterdamse metro) is a rapid transit system serving Amsterdam, Netherlands, and extending to the surrounding municipalities of Diemen and Ouder-Amstel. Until 2019 it also served the municipality of Amstelveen but t ...

Route 52 (Noord/Zuidlijn) begins operation. * July 30 – Opening of

SunRail SunRail is a commuter rail system in the Greater Orlando, Florida, area. Services began on May 1, 2014. The system comprises 16 stations along a former CSX Transportation line connecting Volusia County and Osceola County through Downtown Orlan ...

Phase 2 South extension to

Poinciana, Florida Poinciana () is a settlement and census-designated place (CDP) in Osceola and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It lies southwest of Kissimmee and approximately east of Haines City. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP had a ...

August

* August 1 ** –

Palembang Light Rail Transit The South Sumatra Light Rail Transit ( id, Lintas Rel Terpadu Sumatera Selatan, lit. "South Sumatra Integrated Rail Line", shortened to LRT Sumatera Selatan or LRT Sumsel), colloquially known as LRT Palembang or Palembang LRT, is an operational l ...

, the first operational light rail system in Indonesia, opens. ** – Reopening of the

PNR North Main Line The PNR North Main Line ( fil, Pangunahing Linyang Pahilaga ng PNR, simply known as PNR North or Northrail) is one of the two main line (railway), trunk lines of the Philippine National Railways in the island of Luzon, the other being the PNR So ...

since its closure in 1997. ** –

Russian Railways Russian Railways (russian: link=no, ОАО «Российские железные дороги» (ОАО «РЖД»), OAO Rossiyskie zheleznye dorogi (OAO RZhD)) is a Russian fully state-owned vertically integrated railway company, both managi ...

publicly adopts local (rather than

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

) time. * August 25 – Opening of

Aarhus Letbane The Aarhus Letbane (Aarhus light rail) is a light rail system in the city of Aarhus, Denmark. It is operated by the company Midttrafik. The first line opened in December 2017, but the system is under continuous development and expansion. Service ...

extension south to Odder.

September

* September 1 – Final service of the

Whitehorse Waterfront Trolley The Whitehorse Waterfront Trolley was a heritage streetcar service in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The line used a single reconditioned trolley which carried tourists along Whitehorse's waterfront along the Yukon River. It ran from the Rotary P ...

heritage streetcar Conservation and restoration of rail vehicles aims to preserve historic rail vehicles. Trains It may concern trains that have been removed from service and later restored to their past condition, or have never been removed from service, like UP ...

Whitehorse, Yukon Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...

. * September 20 – Oss rail accident. * September 23 –

Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL), also known as “Guangshengang XRL” (officially Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway, Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong section), is a high-speed railway line t ...

is opened after several construction delays. * September 25 –

Tel Aviv–Jerusalem railway The Tel Aviv–Jerusalem railway (also higher-speed railway to Jerusalem, Plan A1, and Railway 29) is a railway line connecting the city of Tel Aviv in Israel with Jerusalem. The line serves as the main rail link between Tel Aviv and Jerus ...

opens from

Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon Railway Station ( he, תחנת הרכבת ירושלים – יצחק נבון, ''Tahanat HaRakevet Yerushalaim–Yitzhak Navon''; ar, محطة أورشليم – يتسحاق ناڤون), originally named Jerusalem–H ...

Ben Gurion Airport railway station Ben Gurion Airport railway station ( he, תחנת הרכבת נמל התעופה בן גוריון, ''Tahanat HaRakevet Nemal HaTe'ufa Ben Gurion'') is an Israel Railways station located in the lower level of Ben Gurion International Airport's Ter ...

using electric double-deck commuter trains with a design speed of 160 km/h.

October

* October 7 –

Appenzell Railways Appenzell Railways (german: Appenzeller Bahnen, AB) is a Swiss railway company with headquarters in Herisau. It operates a network of railways in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St. Gallen and Thurgau. History The o ...

Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen railway The Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen railway, also known as the Durchmesserlinie (diameter line), is a metre gauge overland tramway in the Swiss cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Ausserrhoden and the city of St. Gallen. It is the steepest adh ...

reopens to general passenger traffic following a 6-month replacement of its

rack Rack or racks may refer to: Storage and installation * Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use * Bustle rack, a type of storage bin m ...

section by the Ruckhalde tunnel;

Stadler Tango The Tango is a light rail vehicle and tram made by Stadler Rail. It can be built as either a 100% high-floor or 70% low-floor articulated unit. It is in use in Bochum, Berlin (BVG-Class IK), Basel, Geneva, Lyon and Aarhus. Characteristics T ...

light rail vehicles introduced on the line. * October 11 – Haramain high-speed railway opened. * October 14 –

KeolisAmey Wales Keolis Amey Operations ( cy, Gweithrediadau KeolisAmey), Full legal name is bilingual including the Welsh name, as "Keolis Amey Operations / Gweithrediadau Keolis Amey Limited". trading as Transport for Wales Rail Services (TfW Rail Services) ...

take over operation of the

Wales & Borders franchise , image_filename = , image_size = , caption = , nameforarea = service area , regions = Wales, North West England, the West Midlands, and Gloucestershire. , operator = Transport for Wales Rail , dates = 14 ...

from

Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales (ATW; cy, Trenau Arriva Cymru) was a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operated the Wales & Borders franchise. It ran urban and inter-urban passenger services to all railway stations in Wales ...

. * October 19 –

Amritsar train disaster On 19 October 2018, two Indian Railways passenger trains rode into a crowd of people in the eastern outskirts of Amritsar, Punjab. The crowd had gathered to watch celebrations for the Hindu festival of Dussehra and were standing on the tracks. ...

: An

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

train runs into a crowd attending a festival in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Maj ...

, killing at least 59. * October 21 –

2018 Yilan train derailment On 21 October 2018, a passenger train derailed in Yilan County, Taiwan, killing 18 people and injuring 187. At the time, it was Taiwan's deadliest rail accident since a collision near Miaoli in 1991 that killed 30 people. Accident At 16:5 ...

: A

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...

Puyuma express The ''Puyuma Express'' () is a type of railway service on Taiwan Railways (TRA) notable for using tilting trains. It began commercial service on 6 February 2013 during the Spring Festival. ''Puyuma Express'' was commissioned by the TRA in ord ...

derails in

Yilan County, Taiwan Yilan County, alternately spelled I-lan, is a county in northeastern Taiwan, Republic of China. Name The name ''Yilan'' derives from the Taiwanese indigenous peoples, indigenous Kavalan people. Other former names in reference to this area i ...

, killing at least 18. * October 25 ** – New section of

Sheffield Supertram The Sheffield Supertram is a tram and tram-train network covering Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. The infrastructure is owned by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), with Stagecoach responsible for th ...

opened.

Tram-train A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that meets the standards of a light rail system (usually an urban street running tramway), but which also meets national mainline standards permitting operation alongside mainline trains. This al ...

operations started. ** – Ürümqi Metro opening. The only rapid transit system opened in China this year (both 2017 and 2019 had more metro systems opened across the country). The rapid transit boom reaches autonomous zones in West China.

November

* November – IRIR opens

Maragheh Maragheh ( fa, مراغه, Marāgheh or ''Marāgha''; az, ماراغا ) is a city and capital of Maragheh County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Maragheh is on the bank of the river Sufi Chay. The population consists mostly of Iranian Azerb ...

–

Urmia Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an a ...

(183 km). * November 2 – Opening of

The Hop The Hop, also known as the Milwaukee Streetcar, is a modern streetcar system in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The initial line connects the Milwaukee Intermodal Station and Downtown to the Lower East Side and Historic Third Ward neighborhoods. A L ...

(Milwaukee Streetcar). * November 7 –

Mercitalia Mercitalia (also known as Mercitalia Rail) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Italian state railway (FSI) system that operates freight transport and logistics services both within Italy and across Europe. Mercitalia was founded in January 2016, ...

starts first high-speed freight operations ever (maximum speed 300 km/h, average speed 180 km/h). * November 9 – Opening of the

El Paso Streetcar The El Paso Streetcar is a streetcar system in El Paso, Texas, that uses a fleet of restored PCC streetcars that had served the city's previous system until its closure in 1974. It opened for service on November 9, 2018. The system covers ( ...

. * November 11 – The last run of

Tokyo Metro 6000 series The was an electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by the Tokyo subway operator Tokyo Metro on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line in Tokyo, Japan from 1971 to 2018. A number of trainsets have been exported to Indonesia for use by Kereta Comm ...

. * November 15 – Opening of

Kenitra–Tangier high-speed rail line Al Boraq () is a high-speed rail service between Casablanca and Tangier, operated by ONCF in Morocco. The first of its kind on the African continent, the high-speed service was inaugurated on 15 November 2018 by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, f ...

. * November 16 **Opening of the Delmar

Loop Trolley The Loop Trolley is a , 10-station heritage streetcar line in and near the Delmar Loop area of greater St. Louis, Missouri. It opened for service in 2018, then shut down in 2019 after revenue fell far short of projections. Service resumed in 202 ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

and

University City, Missouri University City (colloquially, U. City) is an inner-ring suburb of the city of St. Louis in St. Louis County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was measured at 35,065 by the 2020 census. The city is one of the older suburbs in the ...

. **

Brightline Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an inter-city rail route between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida that runs on track owned by Florida East Coast Railway. Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad ...

announced it would be rebranding as Virgin Trains USA, with the

Virgin Group Virgin Group Ltd. is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by the Companies House, who class it as a holding ...

taking a minority shareholding. * November 22 ** – IRIR opens

Qazvin Qazvin (; fa, قزوین, , also Romanized as ''Qazvīn'', ''Qazwin'', ''Kazvin'', ''Kasvin'', ''Caspin'', ''Casbin'', ''Casbeen'', or ''Ghazvin'') is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. Qazvin was a capital of the ...

–

Rasht Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...

(164 km). ** – The Guadalajara light rail Line 1 is extended north to Auditorio.

December

* December –

HS4Air HS4Air is a proposal for a high-speed railway line in the United Kingdom, put forward in 2018 by a British engineering consultancy, Expedition Engineering. The proposed line would have connected the planned High Speed 2 line to the High Speed ...

is officially rejected by the UK Government. * December 2 –

Bogibeel Bridge The Bogibeel Bridge is a combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in the northeastern Indian state of Assam between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district, which was started in the year 2002 and took a total of 200 months to ...

opens as the first freight train crosses (officially December 25). * December 9 ** – Introduction of ES-2G Siemens Desiro express trains on Saint Petersburg–Tosno line with speeds up to 140 km/h. ** – Last run of the Tallinn–Pärnu train. * December 13 –

Ankara train collision Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, makin ...

: A

high-speed train High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

crashes at Marşandiz railway station in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, mak ...

, killing at least nine people and leaving dozens injured. * December 14 – Opening of the

Oklahoma City Streetcar The Oklahoma City Streetcar (OKC Streetcar), also known as the MAPS 3 streetcar, is a streetcar system in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, that opened in 2018. The system serves the greater downtown Oklahoma City area using modern, low-f ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

, Oklahoma. * December 16 – Official start of work on Mayan Train project. * December 25 ** – Ceremony at Panmun Station to mark "expression of a commitment" to reconnect North and South Korean rail and other transport networks. ** – Opening of Hangzhou-Huangshan High-Speed Railway and Harbin–Mudanjiang intercity railway. * December 26 – Opening of

Jinan–Qingdao high-speed railway The Jinan–Qingdao high-speed railway or Jiqing high-speed railway is a high-speed railway between Qingdao and Jinan, the two main cities of Shandong province. Qingdao and Jinan were already served by two double-track lines consisting of the hi ...

Qingdao–Yancheng railway The Qingdao–Yancheng railway is a higher-speed railway on the eastern coast of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceedin ...

, Huaihua–Hengyang railway, Xi'an Metro Line 4, Qingdao Metro Line 13, Chengdu Metro Line 3 north extension and

Songjiang Tram Songjiang Tram (also Songjiang Tramway) is a light rail tramway in Shanghai, China. The system consists of two lines (T1 and T2) totaling with 42 stations. Unlike the Zhangjiang Tram, Songjiang trams use centenary power supply and steel-wheel ...

Line T2. * December 28 –

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a gl ...

ore railway complete automation. This is the first automated freight train. * December 31 –

TEXRail TEXRail is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) line in Tarrant County, Texas, United States that provides service between downtown Fort Worth and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport via Grapevine and oth ...

carries officials and partners for its maiden preview service.

Deaths

* March 4 –

Sir William McAlpine, 6th Baronet Sir William Hepburn McAlpine, 6th Baronet, (12 January 1936 – 4 March 2018) was a British businessman who was director of the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine. Early life and career Born in London in 1936 at the family-owned Dorchest ...

, British businessman and railway enthusiast (born

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

References

{{reflist 2018-related lists

Rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

Transport timelines by year