Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 23, 2006 A newly built ground-level train station in the Illinois village of Elburn, which is more than 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) west of Chicago, was formally opened to the public. Elburn station is the western endpoint of the Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) of the Chicago-area commuter rail system known as Metra. This... Continue Reading →
January 18, 2015 In the Australian state of Queensland, a ferry wharf on the northern side of the Brisbane River was inaugurated. This wharf is specifically located near the intersection of Park Road and Coronation Drive in Milton, an inner suburb of Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane. Graham Quirk, who was lord mayor of Brisbane... Continue Reading →
January 17, 2004 In Australia, the first freight train to travel on the Adelaide-Darwin railway line in its entirety reached the end of its long journey. This long-anticipated line serves as a major transportation link between the cities of Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia; and Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern... Continue Reading →
January 5, 1892 A notable milestone for Undine, a sternwheel-driven steamboat operating on rivers in Oregon, took place when she played a pivotal role in rescuing people who had been on board a vessel that sank in the Willamette River. (A major tributary of the Columbia River, the Willamette River is located entirely within the... Continue Reading →
January 3, 2006 A light rail transit station in Edmonton, the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta, was officially opened. This station, which is part of the light rail system serving Edmonton (nicknamed “Festival City” for the various festivals that it hosts each year), is located at 114th Street at 83rd Avenue on... Continue Reading →
January 2, 1983 Pérez Bonalde station was opened as part of the 7.1-mile (11.5-kilometer) inaugural segment of the mass rapid transit system serving the capital of Venezuela. This station, which is located in the city’s parish (administrative division) of Sucre, was one of the eight stations of Line 1 of the Caracas Metro that made... Continue Reading →
December 29, 2021 In the Indonesian province of East Java, a bus transit system (BTS) serving the city of Surabaya and surrounding regencies (administrative divisions) and cities was officially inaugurated. (Surabaya, the capital of East Java, is second only to Jakarta as Indonesia’s largest city.) This BTS owes its name in part to pecel semanggi,... Continue Reading →
December 28, 2006 In the Republic of Slovenia, a long-sought-after funicular railway in this European country’s capital city of Ljubljana first went into service. That means of public transit covers 230 feet (70 meters) between Krek Square, which is located near the Ljubljana Central Market; and Ljubljana Castle, a popular historic landmark that dates back... Continue Reading →
December 27, 2008 In central Arizona, the light rail line known as Valley Metro Rail was officially opened to the public. This line, which is part of the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority, serves the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. The Saturday morning inauguration of Valley Metro Rail was marked by plenty of... Continue Reading →
December 22, 2012 A single-track tramway line in Oranjestad, the capital city of the Caribbean island country of Aruba, was officially dedicated. Aruba is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and -- along with the Netherlands’ special municipalities and other constituent countries in the Caribbean Sea -- it is part of those... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 