Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 24, 1884Wilson McCarthy, who achieved widespread prominence as a railroad executive, was born in the city of American Fork in what was then the Territory of Utah. McCarthy worked in various settings as a cowboy (boots and western wear became his lifelong standard attire), attorney, judge, and banker before his deep immersion in the... Continue Reading →
July 21, 2015 Tren del Valle, a commuter rail service in the west-central region of Argentina, was opened. This transit line, which runs trains on tracks belonging to the General Roca Railway, connects the cities of Plottier, Neuquén, and Cipoletti. The public officials taking part in the official launch of Tren del Valle included Cristina... Continue Reading →
July 5, 1997 In northern Spain, Basarrate station in the neighborhood of Santutxu in the city of Bilbao was opened. This station serves both lines 1 and 2 of the Bilbao metro, the rapid transit system for both that city and the surrounding metropolitan area. Basarrate station is located near a stop for two bus... Continue Reading →
June 26, 2007 Work began on a railway tunnel in the municipality of Bӕrum, a western suburb of Norway’s capital city of Oslo. A drilling and blasting method was used for creating this tunnel, which is now the major portion of the 4.2-mile (6.7-kilometer) Asker Line. The first dynamite salvo for the project was fired... Continue Reading →
June 7, 1986 In northern Virginia, the opening of a 9.1-mile (14.7-kilometer) extension of the Washington Metro rapid transit system’s Orange Line was celebrated with great fanfare. The public debut of this extension marked the official completion of the Orange Line a little over seven-and-a-half years after the inauguration of its first segment. This line’s... Continue Reading →
As a longtime businessman and civic leader in the city of Portland in Oregon, Bill Naito became a strong champion of public transportation initiatives in that part of the world. He was born in Portland on September 16, 1925, to Hide and Fukiye Naito, who had immigrated to the United States from Japan in 1912.... Continue Reading →
May 15, 2004 Amadora Este station on the Blue Line of the Lisbon Metro, the rapid transit station operating in the metropolitan area centered on Portugal’s capital city, first went into service. This underground station is located beneath a major bus terminal in the municipality and city of Amadora, which is 6.2 miles (10 kilometers)... Continue Reading →
April 26, 2015 EverLine, an automated driverless guideway transit line (also known as a people mover) in South Korea’s city of Yongin in the Seoul Capital Area -- the fourth largest metropolitan region in the world -- was formally opened to great fanfare. This transit line serves as a key link between Everland, which is... Continue Reading →
April 14, 2011 In the western region of the Federal Republic of Germany, a newly completed railway station was inaugurated in the city of Koblenz in the state of Rhineland Palatinate. Construction on Koblenz Stadtmitte station had begun in January 2008, and this facility ultimately opened the day before numerous people would be traveling via... Continue Reading →
April 13, 2012 In northwestern Illinois, an intercity train station serving Amtrak (the national passenger railroad company in the United States) in the city of Kewanee was officially opened. This depot replaced a small brick shelter that had been built there in 1986. The current version of Kewanee station, which was designed by the Peoria-based... Continue Reading →
