rail car in North America is received (from its manufacturer, Siemens) by Portland, Oregon's TriMet. August events August 19 – Metra's North Central Service commuter rail line begins operations on the Milwaukee District/West Line and on the Wisconsin Central Railroad between Union Station in downtown Chicago and Antioch. September events September 11 – Union Pacific finishes the acquisition that was effectively begun almost a century before with the purchase of the Southern Pacific. The merged company retains the name "Union Pacific" for all railroad operations. September 14 – The York–Durham Heritage Railway begins operations on Canadian National's former branch between Uxbridge and Stouffville, Ontario. October events October 1 – The Norwegian Railway Inspectorate is created. October 13 – Further British train operating companies begin operation of their passenger service franchises as part of the privatisation of British Rail: Cardiff Railway Company (operating as Valley Lines) and Wales & West (both subsidiaries of Prism Rail); Connex South Eastern; Island Line, Isle of Wight (Stagecoach Group); and Thames Trains (Go-Ahead Group). October – The first stage of Cairo Metro's Line Two (the Yellow line) opens. November events November 18 – Channel Tunnel fire seriously damaging 200 m of the tunnel's lining. November 21 – Limited freight service in the Channel Tunnel resumes while construction crews make repairs at the location of the fire three days earlier. December events December 1 – Norwegian State Railways is split into the Norwegian National Rail Administration and Norges Statsbaner. December 4 – Passenger service resumes through the Channel Tunnel. December 5 BNSF reopens Stampede Pass in Washington and resumes operating freight trains over the line. Canadian National operates its last train of grain to be hauled in 40 ft (12 m) boxcars; CN SD40s numbered 5256 and 5051 depart Canora, Saskatchewan, with a train of 114 such boxcars bound for Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Thunder Bay, Ontario. December 16 – Opening of Malaysia's first metro line, the LRT STAR Line () from to in the Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. December 30 Dallas Area Rapid Transit opens the first line of Trinity Railway Express between Dallas and Irving, Texas. The Brahmaputra Mail train bombing: a bomb explodes a train travelling in Lower Assam in Eastern India, totally destroying three carriages of the train and derailing six more, killing at least 33 people. December 31 – Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway merge