Events January events January 1 – The Korean National Railroad in South Korea is split into the Korea Railroad Corporation, branded as Korail, which will operate trains, and Korea Rail Network Authority (KR), which maintains the tracks. January 5 – The metre-gauge Brünig railway line of the Swiss Federal Railways and the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg railway line merge to form the Zentralbahn. January 12 – General Motors announces that it has agreed to sell Electro-Motive Diesel to a consortium led by Greenbriar Equity Group and Berkshire Partners.General Motors (January 12, 2005), GM Agrees To Sell Electro-Motive Division. Retrieved January 12, 2005. January 29 – Singapore's third LRT Line, Punggol LRT Line, is opened.
February events February 25 – Bombardier is awarded a contract to build 361 passenger cars for a new Chinese rail line to Lhasa, Tibet; due to the destination's altitude the cars will include special UV-filtering glass and a unique oxygen enriching system.Trains NewsWire (February 28, 2005), Bombardier awarded Chinese passenger car contract. Retrieved March 10, 2005. February 26 – AVE Class 102 trains enter regular operation on the Madrid-Zaragoza-Lleida line.
March events March 2 – Citing disputes in paid leave policies, around 200 BNSF dispatchers walk off the job for nearly three hours, causing traffic delays over the entire system from Chicago to the Pacific coast.Trains NewsWire (March 3, 2005), Dispatcher walkout snarls BNSF. Retrieved March 10, 2005. March 14 – Canadian Pacific purchases 35 new Green Goat hybrid locomotives, becoming the first railroad to order this type of locomotive.Canadian Pacific Railway (March 14, 2005), Canadian Pacific Railway to acquire first hybrid locomotives . Retrieved March 17, 2005.
April events April 1 – All former BC Rail systems and operations are fully integrated into those of the purchasing railroad, Canadian National. – Kansas City Southern Railway completes its controlling interest purchase of TFM; Vicente Corta is named interim CEO of TFM.Kansas City Southern Industries (April 1, 2005), Kansas City Southern Announces Closing of TFM Transaction; Naming of TFM Interim CEO. Retrieved May 26, 2005. April 7 – Railways Act 2005 (UK) provides for abolition of Strategic Rail Authority. April 13 – The transport ministry of Bulgaria issues the first freight transport license to a private company, Bulgarian Railway Company, to operate on the nation's rail network.Bulgarian News Network (April 13, 2005), Bulgaria Licenses Private Railroad Carrier . Retrieved April 13, 2005. April 28 – Swiss engineers blast through the last section of rock on the first bore of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel project under the Alps.Trains NewsWire (April 29, 2005), Swiss complete digging Alpine tunnel. Retrieved May 4, 2005. See also Swiss finish drilling world's longest overland tunnel
May events May 3 – The Iranian president Mohammad Khatami leads the ceremony inaugurating passenger rail service between Mashhad and Bafq, Iran.Payvand's Iran News (May 3, 2005), Iranian President inaugurates Mashhad-Bafq railroad . Retrieved May 3, 2005. May 26 – Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) announce that they have agreed to purchase the railroad operations of Rail Management Corporation (RMC). G&W will pay US$243 million in cash and assume $1.7 million in company debt to gain control of 14 short line railroads from RMC across the southeastern United States, as of June 1, 2005. G&W already controls 24 other railroads in North America, South America and Australia.Trains NewsWire (May 26, 2005), G&W to acquire Rail Management Corp. rail operations. Retrieved May 27, 2005.Genesee and Wyoming, Inc. (May 26, 2005), Genesee & Wyoming Announces Agreement to Acquire Short Line and Port Railroads from Rail Management Corporation . Retrieved May 27, 2005.
May 27 – The 9 of the New York City Subway makes its last ride.
June events June 1 – Joseph H. Boardman, former Commissioner of New York State Department of Transportation, begins his duties as Administrator for the United States Federal Railroad Administration (a division of the United States Department of Transportation).Federal Railroad Administration, US DOT (June 1, 2005), Joseph H. Boardman Begins Role as New Administrator for Federal Railroad Administration With Focus on Rail Safety and Intercity Passenger Rail Reform . Retrieved June 6, 2005. June 2 – Railroad workers across France go on strike to demand better wages and jobs. The strike, which began at 18:00 GMT on Wednesday, is expected to last through 6:00 GMT Friday. Nearly 40% of all TGV schedules are dropped for the duration of the strike.Associated Press (June 2, 2005), Railroad strike upsets train service around France, causing rush-hour havoc (newsfromrussia.com). Retrieved June 2, 2005. June 4 – Lalu Prasad, India's Railway Minister, presents his Rs.532 billion (US$12 billion) budget for Indian Railways for 2005–06. The network of more than 9,000 passenger trains will not increase passenger fares, will add 46 new trains, increase frequencies on 10 others and plans to inaugurate new high speed train service between New Delhi and Kolkata and another between New Delhi and Chennai.MoneyPlans.net (June 4, 2005), World-class railroad service promised for India . Retrieved June 4, 2005. June 22 – The entire network of the Swiss Federal Railways shuts down due to a power failure in its overhead wire system. The power failure is also affecting international transit through Switzerland as such intercity trains use the same system. Initial reports indicate that the power failure started with a voltage drop in Ticino (in the St. Gotthard region) that then spread to the entire system.SwissInfo (June 22, 2005), Swiss train network shuts down . Retrieved June 22, 2005.BBC News (June 22, 2005), Swiss rail network grinds to halt. Retrieved June 22, 2005.
July events July 1 – Indian Railways is expected to inaugurate two new Shatabdi Express passenger trains, one between Chennai and Bangalore and a new Jan-Shatabdi Express between Madgaon and Mangalore. July 29 – Iarnród Éireann, the Irish state railway operator, ceases all container freight traffic on the network. Freight yards at Limerick and Dublin will be closed.
August events August 4 – Argentinian railroad workers across the country (except for the subway operators in Buenos Aires) go on strike for 24 hours demanding higher wages. The strike comes after 100 days of failed negotiations between the railroads and the engine driver unions; if an agreement cannot be reached within a week, the unions have threatened a subsequent 36-hour strike. The railroad employees strike coincides with a 72-hour health care workers strike that is still occurring.Prensa Latina (August 4, 2005), Argentinian Railroad Workers Join Health Sector in Strike . Retrieved August 4, 2005. August 7 – The Thornlie line opens as a spur off Transperth's Armadale line to Thornlie station. August 15 – All America Latina Logistica (ALL) of Brazil announces that it has formed a partnership with Besco Engineering and Services Private Limited of India to build new railroad cars in Brazil. The new enterprise, to be named Santa Fe Vagoes SA, will be located in Brazil and 40% owned by ALL.Nicaretta, Romina, Bloomberg.com (August 16, 2005), ALL, India's Besco Form Joint Venture to Build Railroad Wagons. Retrieved August 16, 2005. August 24 – Chinese railroad workers in Tibet laid rails on the Tanggula Mountain Pass in Tibet at 5,072 m (16,640 ft) above sea level, surpassing the altitude of the highest Peruvian railway by 255 m (837 ft). This section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is now the highest railway in the world. The railway also includes the highest railway station in the world at Lhasa, 5,068 m (16,627 ft) above sea level. The railway is expected to open later in 2005.Xinhua (August 24, 2005), New height of world's railway born in Tibet. Retrieved August 24, 2005. August 27 – The first section of the Asker Line, from Asker to Sandvika, is opened.
September events September 2 – In a letter to the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, BNSF (headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas) pledges a contribution of US$1 million, and offers rail transportation to aid in relief efforts for the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The monetary contribution would come from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation as a donation to the American Red Cross relief efforts, while the transportation assistance is currently being organized by the Association of American Railroads, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Railroad Administration and the other railroads that serve the area. The letter also states that repairs to the Bayou Boeuf bridge are now complete and BNSF's mainline was reopened as originally planned at 6:00 PM Central Time on September 1. September 4 – The Girard Avenue Trolley in Philadelphia recommences service after thirteen years of bus substitution. September 6 – Indonesian transport officials at a meeting in Bandar Lampung announce plans to build a trans-Sumatran railway to connect Banda Aceh to Bakauheni, a distance of . A Feasibility Study performed after the 2004 tsunami by SNCF, the national rail carrier of France, showed that such a line could be built. Construction is expected to commence in seven stages; the first stage would connect Banda Aceh to Besitang (484 km / 301 miles). (Indonesia Relief) September 13 – The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the national rail carrier of Nigeria, announces that it has laid off 5,980 of its nearly 12,000 employees, answering a call from the Nigerian government to downsize. The government first asked NRC for a 50% reduction in the last quarter of 2003; NRC waited until there was sufficient funds from the government for severance packages for the affected employees. In all, the government released nearly N2.1 billion (US$16 million) to NRC for severance pay. Some of NRC's layoff criteria included fraud, excessive absenteeism, employees who had worked for more than 33 years, or who were aged 50–60, and employees with a history of disciplinary actions. (AllAfrica) September 20 – Japanese officials announce the government's intentions to pay former World War II prisoners of war involved in the construction of the Death Railway between Thailand and Burma. Compensation amounts have not been announced; some estimates place the number of construction survivors at 1,800, most now aged in their 80s and 90s. The compensation for laborers who have died either during construction or afterward would be sent to their next of kin.New Straits Times (September 20, 2005), Hope for survivors of ‘Death Railway'. Retrieved September 20, 2005. September 29 – Sixty years after World War II, Nederlandse Spoorwegen issues a statement formally apologizing for transporting Jewish people to Nazi concentration camps in Germany and Poland during the war. , the railway's chief executive stated "On behalf of the company and from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologise for what happened during the war." The railway made the decision to issue the formal apology after the largest Dutch Jewish organization, Centraal Joods Overleg, proposed an awareness campaign to take place at the railway's stations nationwide. Reaction among the survivors is mixed.Mudeva, Anna; Reuters (September 29, 2005), Dutch railway firm apologises for deporting Jews. Retrieved September 29, 2005.
October events