1902 In Rail Transport

Events

January events

* January 1 – The Swiss Federal Railways is formed through the merger and nationalization of several smaller railroads.
* January 8 – A train collision occurs in the New York Central Railroad's Park Avenue Tunnel in New York City killing 17 people, injuring 38 and leading to increased demand for electric trains.
* January 24 – The Thompson Tramway, a predecessor of the Connecticut Company, is renamed Worcester and Connecticut Eastern Railway.

February events

* February 13 – The Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York Railroad, a predecessor of the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad, is incorporated.
* February 15 – The Berlin U-Bahn Underground is opened in Germany.
* February – Great Western Railway of England turns out the prototype 'Saint' Class 4-6-0 locomotive from its Swindon Works, beginning a series of successful 2-cylinder designs.
* February – Edwin Winter becomes president of Brooklyn Rapid Transit in New York City.

March events

* March 10 – An antitrust suit is filed against Northern Securities Company, a holding company controlling Northern Pacific Railway, Great Northern Railway, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and others.

April events

* April 9 – Underground Electric Railways Company of London formed to consolidate the group of Underground lines controlled by American financier Charles Yerkes.
* April 21 – The Pennsylvania, New York and Long Island Railroad, a predecessor of the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad, is incorporated.

May events

* May 1 – Ahead of merger documentation and filing, Canadian Pacific Railway takes control of the Ottawa, Northern and Western Railway.
* May 10 – Construction begins on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway.
* May 23 – Ottawa, Northern and Western Railway passenger trains are shifted to Ottawa's Broad Street Union Station.

June events

* June 11 – Chūō Main Line, Ochanomizu of Tokyo to Shiojiri route official complete in Japan, as same time, Shinjuku of Tokyo to Matsumoto route direct passenger train service start.
* June 15
** The New York Central railroad debuts the ''20th Century Limited'' passenger train between Chicago and New York.
** Canadian Pacific Railway reroutes its transcontinental passenger trains in Ottawa to use the Vaudreuil line and the Interprovincial Bridge.

July events

* July 1 – Oliver Robert Hawke Bury becomes General Manager of the Great Northern Railway in England.

* July 4 – Pacific Electric Railway opens its first interurban line to connect Los Angeles and Long Beach, California.
* July 12 – First of the Neuquén-Cipolletti bridges opened for Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway traffic in Argentina.
* July 17 – The Texas Mexican Railway converts to standard gauge.

September events

* September 1 – Damascus– Daraa railway line completed.
* September 22 – Ottawa, Northern and Western Railway acquires the Pontiac and Pacific Junction Railway.

October events

* October 9 – The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway, predecessor of the Burlington-Rock Island Railroad, is chartered in Texas.
* October 13 – Professor Ernest Rutherford of McGill University demonstrates the first wireless communication system between a station and a moving train using a Grand Trunk Railway passenger special operating between Toronto and Montreal.
* October 15 – The Ferrovia della Valtellina in Italy begins operating the world's first three-phase AC railway electrification system on a public standard gauge line, designed by MÁV chief engineer Kálmán Kandó with equipment by the Ganz Works.

November

* November 2 – Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad jointly inaugurate the '' Golden State Limited'' passenger train between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California.
* November 26 – Skreiabanen in Toten, Norway, is opened.

Unknown date events

* The Alaska Central Railroad (an early predecessor of the Alaska Railroad) begins construction northward from Seward, Alaska.
* The Atlantic Coast Line acquires the Plant System Railroads and gains control of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.
* Serious buffer stop accident at Frankfurt-am-Main inspires development of Rawie range of energy-absorbing buffer stops.
* Narrow gauge Ferrocarril de Córdoba a Huatusco is completed to Coscomatepec, Veracruz.
* Percy French writes the song '' Are Ye Right There Michael?'' ridiculing the West Clare Railway in Ireland.

Births

Deaths

May deaths

* May 20 – H. H. Hunnewell, director for Illinois Central Railroad 1862-1871, president of Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad, president of Kansas City, Lawrence and Southern Railroad, dies (b. 1810).

November deaths

* November 12 - William Henry Barlow, English railway civil engineer (born 1812).

References

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