Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
December 20, 1984 The Polanco Station on Line 7 of the Mexico City Metro first went into service. (The Mexico City Metro, which is operated by the Sistems de Transporte Colectivo [STC], is a rapid transit system serving the metropolitan area of Mexico’s capital; it ranks second only to the New York City Subway as... Continue Reading →
October 20, 2015 After more than a half-century without any tram (streetcar) service in Medellín, the transit system known as the Ayacucho Tram was formally launched in that major Colombian city. The Ayacucho Tram, which is operated by the rapid transit network Medellín Metro, is currently the only tram service in all of Colombia. For... Continue Reading →
October 13, 1974 In southeastern India’s state of Andhra Pradesh, construction officially began on Dwaraka Bus Station (DBS) Complex in the eastern part of the city of Visakhapatnam. The inaugural ceremony for this project included having Jalagam Vengal Rao (1921-1999), who was chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1973 to 1978, lay the foundation stone... Continue Reading →
January 18, 1857 Henry Wigram, who became a transportation pioneer in New Zealand, was born in London, England. Wigram immigrated to what was then the British colony of New Zealand in 1883. He settled in the city of Christchurch, located in the Canterbury region of New Zealand’s South Island. Wigram eventually became involved in Christchurch’s... Continue Reading →
November 5, 2018 The first fully integrated multimodal terminal in the Philippines was opened in the City of Parañaque in the country’s National Capital Region. The National Capital Region (also known as Metro Manila) encompasses 16 cities – including Parañaque and the country’s capital of Manila – on Luzon, the largest and most populous of... Continue Reading →
October 26, 1952 A station of the Stockholm metro was formally opened in the community of Blackeberg in the western section of Sweden’s capital and largest city. Blackeberg metro station was one of 17 stations to be inaugurated on the same date on Line 19 of the Green Line of Stockholm’s rapid system. Blackeberg metro... Continue Reading →
November 12, 2014 A pioneering system of trams (better known as streetcars or trolleys in North America) was opened to the public in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city of Dubai. This 6.6-mile (10.6-kilometer)-long segment of the new system between Dubai Marina along the Persian Gulf shoreline and the city’s community of Al Sufouh had... Continue Reading →
April 22, 1904 The Visalia Electric Railroad (VERR) Company was incorporated under the laws of California to provide transit service within the central region of the Golden State. Paul Shoup was president of the fledgling enterprise, while H.A. Culloden was named its secretary. A wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad, VERR was a... Continue Reading →
October 17, 1943 Chicago’s first rapid transit subway route began regular operations for passenger service just after midnight. This occurred the day after Mayor Edward J. Kelly of Chicago officially opened that new 4.9-mile (7.9-kilometer) subterranean transportation system in a ribbon-cutting ceremony beneath the intersection of State and Madison Streets, an above-ground location described by... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 