1983 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1983.

Events

January events

• January 1 - China Railway opens Zhicheng–Liuzhou railway, 885 km (550 mi) in length with 396 tunnels totalling 172 km (107 mi) and 476 bridges totalling 52 km (32 mi).^[1]
• January 2 - The first section of the Caracas Metro is opened, first rapid transit system in Venezuela.^[2]

February events

• February 27 - The first phase of the O'Hare rapid transit extension of the Chicago 'L' system is placed into operation from Jefferson Park to Rosemont via the Kennedy Expressway median.

April events

• April 25
  • Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad discontinues independent intercity passenger train service with the final run of the Rio Grande Zephyr.
  • Lille Metro (France) opens, with driverless trains.^[1]

May events

• May 6 - The last Georgia Railroad mixed train is operated by the Seaboard System Railroad.

June events

• June 20 - The Chicago and North Western Railway wins a bidding war against the Soo Line for control of the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad "Spine Line"; the Interstate Commerce Commission awarded the line to CNW's $93 million bid.

July events

• July 3 - Chicago and North Western Railway holds official groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction of the line into Wyoming's Powder River Basin.^[3]
• July 16
  • The route of Amtrak's California Zephyr is shifted off the Union Pacific Railroad in Wyoming to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.
  • The entire Kowloon Canton Railway (now East Rail Line) between Kowloon (Hung Hom) and Lo Wu stations is electrified.

September events

• September 23 - In preparation for a sale of the Alaska Railroad's assets to the state of Alaska, the United States Railway Association sets the railroad's fair market value at $22.3 million.^[4]

October events

• October 29 - The last GG1 in revenue service pulls its last train, New Jersey Transit train number 3323.
• October 30 - Amtrak launches a rebranded, thrice-weekly Auto Train using much of the same equipment and the same route as the train operated by Auto-Train Corporation.

December events

• December 9 - The Wrawby Junction rail crash near Barnetby station in North Lincolnshire, England, killed one passenger.
• December 18 - Canadian National Railway abandons track between Renfrew Junction and Whitney, Ontario on the company's Renfrew Subdivision.^[5]

Unknown date events

• Benjamin Biaggini steps down as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Southern Pacific Company, the parent company of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
• Boston and Maine Corporation is purchased by Guilford Transportation Industries.
• The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad merge to form the Seaboard System Railroad.

Accidents

v t e Railway accidents in 1983 (1983) Location and date Wrawby Junction, England (9 December) 1982 1984

Deaths

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References

• Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society (2005), This Month in Railroad History: July. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
• Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society (2005), This Month in Railroad History: October. Retrieved October 28, 2005.

1. ^ ^{a b} Balkwill, Richard; Marshall, John (1993). The Guinness Book of Railway Facts and Feats (6th ed.). Enfield: Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-707-X. 
2. ^ "Metro de Caracas". UrbanRail. 2007. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. http://www.urbanrail.net/am/cara/caracas.htm. Retrieved March 31, 2010. 
3. ^ Feurer, Keith (Summer 2004). "Look who came out on top". North Western Lines (Chicago and North Western Railway Historical Society) 32 (1): 16–39. 
4. ^ Alaska Railroad (2005). "The Alaska Railroad - History". Archived from the original on October 13, 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20051013072149/http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc119.html. Retrieved September 23, 2005. 
5. ^ Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (December 12, 2005), Significant dates in Ottawa railway history. Retrieved December 18, 2005.