Events January January 6 – The Hixon rail crash occurs when a low-loader road transporter is struck by an express train on an automatic half-barrier level crossing at Hixon, Staffordshire, England. 11 people are killed. This has repercussions on the arrangements for automating level crossings on British Rail. February February 1 – The Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad merge to form the Penn Central. Terms of the merger with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad have not yet been agreed with the Interstate Commerce Commission; in the interim, the Penn Central will financially support the New Haven. February 9 – The first line of the Rotterdam Metro opens, being the first rapid transit line to open in The Netherlands. March March 4 – Pear Tree and Normanton railway station in Derby, England, is closed as part of the Beeching cuts. April April 1 – Abukuma Express line opened in Japan. April 4 – Transit Planning Study Chicago Central Area, a three volume report authorized in 1965, is published by the City of Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, and other public agencies. It proposed a new Loop Subway under Randolph, Wabash, Van Buren and Franklin Streets to replace the Loop elevated system (which still exists today), and a Distributor Subway system under Monroe Street to the North Michigan Avenue business district and McCormick Place. After 1970, it was referred to as the Chicago Central Area Transit Project. April 5 – The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA), responsible for closing most of the northern part of the Irish railway system, is dissolved. Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) (formed as Ulster Transport Railways) takes over operation of railways in Northern Ireland. April 7 – Kobe Rapid Transit Railway Line, Hanshin Sannomiya to Nishidai and Hankyu Sannomiya to Shinkaichi route officially completed in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, Sanyo Himeji to Umeda of Osaka route direct commuter express service start to 1998. April 8 The last run of the Golden State passenger train on the Rock Island and Southern Pacific railroads departs Los Angeles, California. The final Southern Pacific Lark departs from Los Angeles en route to San Francisco. April 27 – Kamalapur railway station was inaugurated by Pakistani president Ayub Khan in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). June June 12 – Following the withdrawal of Soo Line Railroad's objections, the Interstate Commerce Commission reaffirms its approval of the proposed CNW/CGW merger. July July 1