Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 2, 1935 The Chicago and North Western (C&NW) Railway formally inaugurated its 400 passenger train service between Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Paul, Minnesota, with a final stop in Minneapolis. This train, which would later be renamed “The Twin Cities 400,” was called “400” in part as an homage to “The Four Hundred Club.” (This phrase... Continue Reading →
December 16, 2008 A newly completed bus rapid transit (BRT) line in Mexico’s capital and largest city first went into service. Construction on Line 2 of the Mexico City Metrobús had begun on September 4 of the previous year. The line was officially inaugurated by Marcelo Ebrard, who served as the Head of Government of... Continue Reading →
November 21, 2022 On Norway’s west coast, the second line of a light rail system in the city and municipality of Bergen first went into service. This took place three days after the inaugural ceremony for this new route was held. The second line encompasses 5.6 miles (nine kilometers) between Kaigaten in Bergen’s borough of... Continue Reading →
October 25, 2008 Wawrzyszew station on Line M1 of the Warsaw Metro rapid transit underground system first went into service. This station, which is located at the corner of Kasprowicza and Lindego Streets in the Wawrzyszew neighborhood of Poland’s capital, was built as part of an extension of Line M1 in the northwestern area of... Continue Reading →
October 23, 2015 A much anticipated Friday morning event in the Ecuadorian city of Cuenca occurred when a low-floor tram (railcar) was taken out for its first test run. This vehicle was the first of several railcars to be built by Alstom, a French rolling stock manufacturer, for an electric tram line coursing through both... Continue Reading →
September 20, 2015 Operations began for the first line of a light rail system in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital and largest city. The Addis Ababa Light Rail was officially inaugurated by Hailemariam Desalegn, who served as prime minister of Ethiopia from 2012 to 2018. In an article appearing in the Ethiopian Herald a couple of... Continue Reading →
September 6, 2014 In southwestern India’s state of Kerala, a bus station in the city of Kollam made its public debut. This station is specifically located in the city’s neighborhood of Tangasseri (also known as Thangassery), a densely populated area along the shores of the Arabian Sea. Tangasseri Bus Terminal was built in large part... Continue Reading →
September 5, 1986 A new light rail public transit system in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon was officially opened. The launch of the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) Light Rail, which is owned and operated by the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), signified the return of a type of transportation network that had been... Continue Reading →
September 4, 2017 In the West Region of Singapore, an Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) in the planning area and residential town of Bukit Panjang made its debut. An ITH is a facility that functions as a central point whereby individuals can more easily transfer between different modes of public transportation. The one in Bukit Panjang... Continue Reading →
August 27, 1987 A formal inauguration was held for a light rail line on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. This tram service was designated as the Premetro (Line E2), and the operations for portions of it had actually begun as far back as April 28 of that year. The dignitaries attending the dedication ceremony for... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 