This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1982.

Events

January events

• January 13 – The 1982 Washington Metro train derailment involves an Orange Line train in Downtown Washington, D.C. in the United States and kills three people.
• January 26 – The Palace on Wheels luxury train begins to run on Indian Railways.
• January 27 – The Bouhalouane train crash in Algeria kills 131 people.

April events

• April 1 – A major railroad line service in New Zealand, officially operation transferred to New Zealand Railways Corporation from New Zealand Railways Department.^{[citation needed]}
• April 6 – Opening of the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway in Norfolk, England, at 6.5 km (4.0 mi) probably the longest public 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge miniature railway in the world.^[1]

May events

• The last freight trains passed over the Dumbarton Cut-off.^[2]

June events

• June 23 – The Tōhoku Shinkansen line in Japan opens between Omiya (near Tokyo) and Morioka.^[3]
• June 25 – Opening of the Furka (Base) Tunnel (15.4 km (9.6 mi)) on the metre gauge Furka Oberalp Bahn in Switzerland between Oberwald and Realp.^{[4][page needed]}

July events

• July 28 – Fire destroys the Harrisonburg, Virginia, offices of the former Chesapeake Western Railway, which had been merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1954.^[5]

August events

• August 2 – Helsinki Metro opens in Finland, the World's most northern metro.^[6][7]

September events

• September 18 – The second stage of Brisbane, Australia, Suburban Electrification is commissioned between Bowen Hills and Shorncliffe, and also between Roma Street and Kingston.
• September 19 – Final day of PCC streetcar operation in San Francisco before all routes began full time Muni Metro light rail services through the Market Street subway.^[8][9]
• September 21 – Takabata Station in Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, is opened.

October events

• October 23 – The first of 46 new 85-foot stainless steel electric multiple unit cars (1-46) built by Nippon-Sharyo of Nagoya, Japan are placed in service on the South Shore Commuter Line by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. These cars replaced Insull-era equipment dating back to 1926.

November events

• November 15 – The Joetsu Shinkansen opens for service between Ōmiya and Niigata, Japan.^[3]

December events

• December 29 – The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad merge to form the Seaboard System Railroad.

Unknown date events

• Robert Krebs succeeds Alan Furth as president of the Southern Pacific Company, the parent company of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Accidents

Births

Deaths