Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
October 17, 1888 The Eckington & Soldiers’ Home Railway became the first electric streetcar service to begin operations in Washington, D.C. The company’s streetcars initially ran along tracks from the intersection of Seventh Street and New York Avenue, N.W., in the downtown area -- and near the Soldiers’ Home that had been in existence in... Continue Reading →
October 7, 2017 Operations began for a railway station in West Java, which has the distinction of being the Republic of Indonesia’s most populous province and is based in the western part of the island of Java. This station is located specifically in the administrative district of Bekasi Timur (East Bekasi) in West Java’s city... Continue Reading →
September 3, 2006 A railway line in the southern area of Finland began regular train runs. This 47-mile (75.7-kilometer)-line serves as a link between the town of Kerava and the city of Lahti. The start of daily operations for the Kerava-Lahti railway line took place a couple of days after several events commemorating the new... Continue Reading →
August 27, 2018 Regular operations began for a light rail station in the German city of Köln (Cologne). This station was built as a link within the Cologne Stadtbahn, an extensive transit system serving Cologne and several surrounding cities. The station is located in Görlinger-Zentrum (Center), part of Cologne’s district of Bocklemünd. Görlinger-Zentrum contains a... Continue Reading →
August 26, 2006 Forsyth station, part of the St. Louis MetroLink system, first went into service. This station, which was one of six on that light rail station to be opened on the same day, is located underneath the intersection of Forest Park Parkway and Forsyth Boulevard in the St. Louis suburb of University City.... Continue Reading →
August 25, 1912 In northern Spain, operations began for a funicular in the city and municipality of San Sebastián. This cable railway system was built on a steep slope of Mount Igueldo. The Igueldo funicular was designed by engineer Emilio Huizi. Another engineer, Severiano Goñi, supervised the construction of the railway. The Igueldo funicular was... Continue Reading →
August 15, 1896 Operations began for a tram line in the town (now city) of Douglas on the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea. (Douglas has been the capital of the Isle of Man since 1869.) The tram line in Douglas was among the first cable-powered systems of its kind... Continue Reading →
August 5, 2010 A major bus station in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, first went into service. Those taking part in the inauguration of this station included Hau Lung-pin (born in 1952), who was mayor of Taipei from 2006 to 2014. The Taipei City Hall Bus Station is located in a mixed-use skyscraper complex... Continue Reading →
August 4, 1911 Operations began for a tram system in the city of Launceston in Australia’s state of Tasmania. “The three tram cars in commission commenced to earn something towards their upkeep today,” reported the Tasmania-based North West Post. “It is estimated that between 3000 and 4000 passengers were carried.” A dozen days later, the... Continue Reading →
July 11, 1867 A railway station in the village of Blue Mountain in the Australian colony (and present-day state) of New South Wales first went into service. This village, located on one of the eastern slopes of the Blue Mountains, had been established as far back as 1817. It was formally known as Christmas Swamp... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 