|
1 November | • | Light aircraft belonging to
Transportes Aereos Profesionales crashed
in dense forest near airport at Flores, in
northern Guatemala killing 14 including 2
crew members
|
|
7 November | • | Japanese Ministry of
Transport established study group in effort
to revive trams to control automobile
exhaust gas and reduce road congestion
in major cities
|
| • | Nigerian Boeing 727 flying
from Port Harcourt to Lagos crashed,
killing all 141 on board
|
|
11 November | • | Approximately 100 Japanese
tourists fell ill after eating airline
meals on several Qantas aircraft flying
from Cairns to Japan in previous week
|
| • | Tobu Railway chooses
centenary logo with slogan "Move Tobu"
expressing Tobu Railway's strength and
concern for people
|
|
12 November | • | New domestic airline
Skymark Airlines Co. launched by discount
air ticket seller HIS and other investors to
challenge domestic aviation market dominated
by three major airlines in Japan
|
| • | Saudi Airways Boeing
747 carrying 312 passengers and crew
taking off from Indira Ghandi International
Airport bound for Jiddah collided with
Kazakh Airways freight/passenger Ilyushin
IL-76 carrying 39, killing all 351
|
|
15 November | • | Japan Freight Railway
Co. severely in red due to intensified trucking
competition. By 1994, truck distribution
share increased to 90.1% while freight
trains dropped to 1.2%
|
|
17 November | • | JR East completed relocation
of Chuo Line viaduct to make space
for new shinkansen platform at Tokyo Central
Station. Eleven girders each up to
39-m long, 11-m wide and weighing approximately
840 tonnes slid at speed of
approximately 6 cm/minute over city road
during night
|
|
18 November | • | Fire on Le Shuttle train
in Channel Tunnel injured 8 people and
lead to partial shutdown of passenger and
freight services
|
|
19 November | • | Groundbreaking ceremony
held at Hualampong Station for
Bangkok Subway. Track to extend approximately
20 km and planned to open in 2002.
Japan providing technical assistance and
yen credits of approximately ¥26.6 billion
|
| • | All Nippon Airways 24-
hour strike cancelled 357 flights affecting
60,000 passengers. Last ANA strike 6.5
years ago in April 1990
|
| • | Two light aircraft collided
on runway at Baldwin Field Airport, Illinois,
killing all 13 on board
|
|
21 November | • | Osaka Loop Railroad
formed to electrify JR Freight Joto Line in
east Osaka and lay double track. Project
to cost approximately ¥120 billion with 25%
received from national and prefectural
governments. Thirteen passenger stations
planned
|
|
23 November | • | Ethiopian Airlines B767
carrying 175 passengers and crew from
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Abidjan, Ivory
Coast, hijacked over Kenya and crashed
in Indian Ocean near Comoros Islands.
Fifty-two rescued and 70 bodies recovered,
with no hopes for missing
|
|
24 November | • | Frontier stern paddle
steamer started operation on Lake
Ashinoko, Japan. Ship built by Hakone
Sightseeing Ships and Odakyu Group
|
|
25 November | • | JR Freight commenced
work on company headquarters to be completed
in 1998 at Iida-cho Freight Station
in Tokyo. Twenty-three stories above
ground and two underground totalling
47,400 m2 of floor space
|
|
26 November | • | Work started on Okinawa
Urban Monorail linking Naha Airport and
Naha City, Okinawa, Japan. Straddle-type
monorail to cover 12.9 km and cost ¥108.1
billion borne by national, prefectural and
city governments
|
|
3 December | • | Terrorist bomb at Paris
Port Royal underground station killed and
injured 87
|
|
4 December | • | JR Freight train derailed
on Onuma-Miyama section of Hakodate
Main Line with no injuries
|
|
6 December | • | 1996 Economic Annual
Report on Transport (White Paper) released
by Japanese Ministry of Transport
praised improvement of JRs but emphasized
need for radical solution for former
JNR long-term debt. Report noted JR
Hokkaido, JR Kyushu, JR Shikoku and JR
Freight require stronger business bases
|
|
12 December | • | Two Air Self-Defence
Force F4 Phantom fighters involved in near
miss with Air Nippon (ANK) Boeing 737
carrying 54 passengers at Naha Airport,
Okinawa, used by both civilian and military
traffic
|
|
13 December | • | 7th Airport Infrastructure
5-Year Plan (1996-2000) approved by
Cabinet. Total investment ¥3.6 trillion with
priority to completion of New Tokyo International
Airport (Narita) parallel runway
(scheduled for 2000), early completion of
offshore development for Tokyo International
Airport (Haneda), and preparation
of parallel runway for Kansai International
Airport
|
| • | Ceremony held in
Morioka City, Japan, to mark completion
of Akita Shinkansen track. Operations
started 22 March 1997 linking Akita and
Tokyo in 3 hours and 49 minutes saving
48 minutes
|
|
14 December | • | Streamlined 500-series
shinkansen developed by JR West started
trial runs on Tokyo-Osaka section of
Tokaido-Sanyo line linking Tokyo with
Fukuoka
|
| • | Brightfield, large grainfreighter
lost steerage and crashed into
shopping center on Mississippi River in
New Orleans, Louisiana, injuring 116
|
|
15 December | • | Boeing and McDonnell-
Douglas announced merger creating largest
aerospace and transport corporation
in world with annual turnover of $48 billion
(1997 estimate) and 200,000 employees
|
|
18 December | • | Special tax measures extended
for 5 years for JR Hokkaido, JR
Kyushu, JR Shikoku and JR Freight facing
difficult business climate in transition
to complete privatization
|
|
19 December | • | London & Continental
Railways (LCR), operator of Eurostar
trains between London, Paris and Brussels,
won government approval to build 68-
mile high-speed link between St Pancras
and Folkestone
|
|
30 December | • | Terrorist bomb explosion
on train near Kokrajhar, Assam in eastern
India killed 48 and injured some 80 people
|
| • | Two commuter trains collided
head on near Brescia, 100 km east
of Milan, killing two crew members and
injuring 17 people
|
|
2 January | • | Russian tanker (Nakhodka,
13,157 tonnes) broke up in Sea of Japan
off coast of Shimane Prefecture leaking
19,000 tonnes of oil on coast
|
|
4 January | • | Japan's National Police
Agency announced 1996 road death toll
of 9942 dropped below 10,000 for first time
in 9 years
|
|
9 January | • | Light passenger aircraft
crashed near Detroit, Michigan, killing all
29 passengers and crew
|
|
12 January | • | Sightseeing helicopter
crashed in swimming area in front of hotel
in Saipan killing one passenger and pilot
and injuring swimmers
|
| • | Italian high-speed
Pendolino train from Milan bound for Rome
derailed near Piacenza Station, approximately
50 km south of Milan killing 8 and
injuring 29
|
|
13 January | • | Japanese Self-Defence
Force helicopter crashed near Utsunomiya
City during training after clipping high-tension
wires killing instructor and two trainees
|
|
17 January | • | Unmanned Delta 2 rocket
carrying new US Army satellite exploded
immediately after launching
|
|
20 January | • | All Nippon Airways Boeing
777 carrying 192 passengers and crew
from Osaka to Fukuoka hijacked by man
with knife. Hijacker debarked with other
passengers at Fukuoka Airport but arrested
on spot for violating Sword and
Firearms Law
|
|
24 January | • | Medium-sized Aerospatiale
AS 365-N2 helicopter belonging to Toyota
Motor Corp. crashed in mountains in
Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, killing all 8
on board
|
|
27 January | • | Massive pileup of about 80
vehicles caused by thick fog killing three
and injuring 30 at busy road link between
Milan and Genoa
|
|
30 January | • | Japan's Railway Technical
Research Institute to conduct joint tests
with China Academy of Railway Science
for digital automatic train control (ATC)
technology to help China build high-speed
line between Beijing and Shanghai
|
| • | New Tokyo International
Airport Authority announced passengers
using Narita Airport during 1996 increased
5% to 25,410,000 setting new record for
fifth consecutive year
|
|
31 January | • | International Tourism Promotion
Association announced 16.7 million
Japanese departed Japan during
1996, increase of 9.2% over previous year
and setting new record for fifth consecutive
year
|
|
1 February | • | Express train collided with
dump truck at level crossing with no barriers
between Kusu-cho and Bungomori on
JR Kyudai Line injuring 17
|
| • | Air Senegal charter flight
crashed immediately after takeoff at
Tambacounda Airport in Senegal, West
Africa killing 23 passengers and crew and
injuring 29
|
| • | Light aircraft crashed in
New Zealand approximately 15 km north
of Dunedin after clipping barn in mist. Two
Japanese passengers suffered burns
|
|
2 February | • | Last carriage of Raicho 34
nine-car express train from Niigata bound
for Osaka derailed in 1319-m loop tunnel
near Tsuruga City, Fukui, on JR Hokuriku
Line
|
|
4 February | • | Israeli Army helicopters collided
in mid-air in Lebanon, killing 73 soldiers
and crew
|
|
5 February | • | Derailed wagons from
freight train plunged onto workshops under
viaduct near Bexley, Kent, UK, injuring
four workers
|
|
9 February | • | Express train and light truck
collided on level crossing with warning
device and barrier near Mobara City, Chiba
on JR Sotobo Line. Truck driver killed but
none of 150 passengers on train injured
|
| • | Hornet FA-18D attack
fighter from Iwakuni US Naval Base, Japan,
crashed in Yellow Sea leaving two
crew missing
|
|
10 February | • | Train headed from
Santiago to Havana, Cuba, crashed into
locomotive killing at least 13 people and
seriously injuring 65
|
|
14 February | • | Remains of US Douglas
C-53 air transport that crashed during
WWII discovered buried in ice and snow
in mountains at altitude of 3325 m in
China's Yunnan Province
|
|
21 February | • | JR East announced plans
to extend Yamagata Shinkansen to Shinjo
by 2000. Standard track to be laid on 61.5-
km Yamagata-Shinjo section, raising maximum
speed from 90 to 130 km/h and
linking Tokyo and Shinjo in 3 hours and 7
minutes. Project to cost ¥35 billion
|
