– The Tōyō Rapid Railway Line, connecting Nishi-Funabashi and Katsutadai opens in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. April 28 – Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises as part of the privatisation of British Rail: Gatwick Express and Midland Mainline (both National Express) and Great North Eastern Railway (Sea Containers). May events May 4 – Purchase by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad of the former Chicago & North Western branch lines from Rapid City, South Dakota to Colony, Wyoming and Crawford, Nebraska becomes effective. May 12 – The Green Line of the Chicago Transit Authority elevated and subway rail system, returns to service after a $400 million, 2½-year reconstruction period. Many station facilities were still incomplete, while several other stations (including, Halsted/Lake, 58th, 61st, Racine, and University/63rd) were closed indefinitely. May 17 – Canadian National's Beachburg Subdivision between Pembroke and Nipissing, 126 miles ( km) of track which traversed Algonquin Provincial Park, is officially abandoned. May 20 – The British railway infrastructure management company, Railtrack, is privatised, being floated on the London Stock Exchange with shares worth 360p. May 26 – Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises in England as part of the privatisation of British Rail: Connex South Central and LTS Rail (a subsidiary of Prism Rail). June events June 2 – First part of the Belgian High Speed line (HSL 1, from Antoing to the French Border) put into service, continuing the French LGV Nord. June 26 – The Atlanta & St Andrews Bay Railroad and the A&G Railroad merge to form the Bay Line Railroad. July events July 21 – British train operating company Chiltern Railways begins operation of its passenger service franchise in England as part of the privatisation of British Rail, following a management buyout. July 24 – The Dehiwala train bombing carried out by the LTTE kills 64 people. July 26 – Conventional rail world speed record of attained by the JR Central "300X" six-car train between and on the Tokaido Shinkansen. July 27 – Ron Burns becomes president of Union Pacific. July 28 – The Talleyr and Terminal Railroad (a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming) begins operations in Jacksonville, Florida. July 31 – Canadian Pacific makes the last run of a grain load in a boxcar with the final deliveries of grain to Thunder Bay, Ontario. July 31 – The first low-floor light