Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 19, 1977 In the Philippines, Food Terminal Junction station (also known as FTI station) was opened in the city of Taguig in Metro Manila (an area that is officially called the National Capital Region) on the island of Luzon. FTI station is part of the South Main Line serving the larger network of the... Continue Reading →
January 13, 2001 The last remaining section of the Washington Metro rapid transit system as originally planned was opened to passengers. This 6.5-mile (10.5-kilometer) segment consisted of the final five Green Line stations -- Congress Heights, Southern Avenue, Naylor Road, Suitland, and Branch Avenue. (Congress Heights is in Washington, D.C., while the other stations are... Continue Reading →
December 27, 1893 A pivotal test ride took place for a newly completed truss railroad bridge in eastern-central Missouri. This four-span truss bridge, crossing the Missouri River at Bellefontaine Bluffs and serving as a link between Charles County and St. Louis County in the Show-Me State, had been built for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy... Continue Reading →
December 23, 2018 A dedication ceremony was held for the first section of a light rail transit (LRT) system in Taiwan. This system was built to provide greater access to Danhai New Town, a large residential development of Tamsui District in New Taipei City. Danhai light rail, which is operated by New Taipei Metro Corporation... Continue Reading →
December 16, 2019 A total of three monorail train stations were formally opened on Line 15 (Silver) in São Paulo, which is Brazil’s most populous city and the capital of the state of São Paulo. The facilities inaugurated on that day were the stations São Mateus, Sapopemba, and Fazenda da Juta. The public officials taking... Continue Reading →
December 6, 1860 Railroad executive Howard Elliott was born in New York City. He started his longtime railway career during the summer of 1880 when -- while on vacation from college -- he worked as a surveyor’s assistant for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. After graduating from Harvard University’s Lawrence Scientific School with a... Continue Reading →
November 17, 1919 A new train terminal made its debut with hardly any fanfare in Jacksonville, Florida, at a time when that city was increasingly evolving into a vital railroad hub. At a minute past midnight, regular operations at the Jacksonville Terminal formally began when its superintendent J.C. Blanton said to his crew, “Open the... Continue Reading →
November 4, 1862 In eastern India, a newly completed bridge located at the town of Koilwar and spanning the Son River in the present-day state of Bihar was opened to railway traffic. (This bridge made its debut at a time when that region of India was part of the Bengal Presidency, a subdivision of the... Continue Reading →
November 2, 1863 Civil engineer Theodore Judah, whose vision and technical expertise helped bring about one of the most significant railroad accomplishments in American history, died of yellow fever at the age of 37 in New York City. He most likely contracted the viral disease in Panama while he and his wife Anne were en... Continue Reading →
October 27, 1907 A major transportation hub in Washington, D.C., made its debut when the Pittsburgh Express passenger train of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad pulled into the new facility at 6:56 a.m. The next day’s edition of the Washington Post reported that “4,000 or more prospective passengers and spectators who crowded up... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 