1971 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1971.

Events

April 30 – On the eve of Amtrak's assumption of American passenger train operations, Union Pacific Railroad and Chicago and North Western Railway end the City of Los Angeles and City of Denver trains, and the United States Post Office Department cancels all but one of the eight remaining Railway Mail Service routes; the final route served Washington, D.C., to New York City.^[1]

May 1 – Amtrak begins operations of most intercity passenger train service in the United States.

June 5 – Amtrak begins operating a section of the Empire Builder over the ex-Northern Pacific Railway mainline between Minneapolis and Spokane, Washington, restoring service to that route. This train will later be known as the North Coast Hiawatha.
June 6 – London Transport commemorated the end of operating steam locomotives with a special run from Moorgate to Neasden depot. The train comprised No. L94 (ex-GWR 5700 Class No. 7752) and a selection of maintenance rolling stock.^[2]

July 23 – Opening of the final section of London Underground's Victoria line, from Victoria to Brixton, by Princess Alexandra.^[3]
July 30 – Opening of Pfaffenberg-Zwenberg Bridge on Tauern Railway Line in Austria, the world's longest concrete arch, with a span of 200 m (660 ft).^[4]
July 31 – The Monon Railroad is merged into the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.

October 2 – Preserved ex-Great Western Railway steam locomotive No. 6000 King George V inaugurates a series of special trains on British Rail, the first steam allowed on the main line for several years.^[5]
October 26 – Last train worked by steam on New Zealand Railways, the South Island Limited, hauled by J^A class.

December 6 – The first Auto Train operates under the control of the Auto-Train Corporation.
December 16 – A first section of Sapporo Municipal Subway, connecting from Kita-nijuyo-jo Station, via Sapporo Station to Makomanai Station route officially open in Hokkaido, before 1972 Winter Olympics.^{[citation needed]}

February 9 – A Zurich-bound TEE train derails at Aitrang, Germany, due to excess speed and is hit by a railbus. 28 die and 42 are injured.

March 4 – A local train collides with a mini truck at a level crossing on the Fujikyu line, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan, killing at least 179 people and injuring 6100.
March 11 – A runaway train carrying 350 passengers, mostly children, derails next to a 12-metre deep (39 ft) ravine near Vicuña, Chile, killing twelve people.

May 27 – Dahlerau train disaster: A special train full of schoolchildren collides with a freight train in Dahlerau, West Germany, on the line between Wuppertal and Radevormwald due to a misunderstanding of signals. 46 die and 25 are injured, making this the worst rail accident in West Germany during Deutsche Bundesbahn times.

June 10 – Salem, Illinois derailment: a flat spot on a locomotive wheel causes Amtrak's City of New Orleans to derail near Salem, Illinois. Six passengers are killed. It is Amtrak's first fatal accident since beginning operations on May 1.

July 21 – A fast train from Basel to Copenhagen derails due to a technical failure in the Class 103 engine; 23 die and 121 are injured.

^ "The Post Office Role in U.S. Development: Railway Mail Service". History of the United States Post Office. Retrieved 2006-04-26.
^ Scott-Morgan, John; Martin, Kirk (2008). Red Panniers: Last Steam on the Underground. Lydney, Gloucester: Lightmoor Press. p. 145. ISBN 9781899889297. OCLC 271770628.
^ Green, Oliver (1988). The London Underground – An Illustrated History. Ian Allan. p. 59. ISBN 0-7110-1720-4.
^ Balkwill, Richard; Marshall, John (1993). The Guinness Book of Railway Facts and Feats (6th ed.). Enfield: Guinness Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85112-707-1.
^ Wood, G. C. (1972). 6000 King George V – a chronology. Hereford: 6000 Locomotive Association.

v t e Railway accidents in 1971 (1971)
Location and date	Vicuña, Chile (11 March) Dahlerau, West Germany (27 May) Salem, Illinois, US (10 June)
1970 1972