August 1 – August 2

•   – Officials in China hold two opening ceremonies, one in Beijing and another in Tianjin
  Tianjin
  ' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
  
  , to officially open the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railwayway line. The opening makes the new line the first in the world to regularly host trains traveling up to 350 km/h (217.5 mph). The first regular service train departed Beijing South Railway Station
  Beijing south railway station
  The current Beijing South Railway Station is a large railway station on the south side of Beijing that opened on August 1, 2008. The new station replaced the old Beijing South Station, first known as the Majiapu Railway Station and later known as the Yongdingmen Railway Station before 1988, which...
  
   at 10:40 AM local time, while another train left Tianjin at 10:42 AM.
•   – LNER-design Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado
  LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado
  60163 Tornado is a main-line steam locomotive built in Darlington, England. Completed in 2008, Tornado was the first such locomotive built in the United Kingdom since Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, in 1960...
  
   makes first official move under its own steam at Darlington
  Darlington
  Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
  
   where it was constructed, the first main line steam locomotive
  Steam locomotive
  A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
  
   built in Britain
  Great Britain
  Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
  
   since 1960.

August 3 – August 9

•   – A EuroCity
  EuroCity
  EuroCity, abbreviated EC, denotes an international train service within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains with the "IC" label, "EC" trains are international trains that meet certain criteria. The EuroCity label replaces the older Trans Europ Express name for...
  
   train, traveling at 134 km/h (83.3 mph) en route from Kraków
  Kraków
  Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
  
  , Poland, to Prague
  Prague
  Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
  
  , Czech Republic, collides with a bridge
  Studénka train disaster
  Studénka train accident was a rail accident that happened on August 8, 2008 at approximately 09.30 local time .The train EuroCity 108 Comenius was an express train en route from Kraków, Poland to Prague, Czech Republic that struck a part of a motorway bridge that had fallen onto the railroad track...
  
   that had collapsed onto the track in front of the train near Studénka
  Studénka
  Studénka is a town of 10,210 residents in Nový Jičín District of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. It is on the mainline railway between Kraków and Prague, and was the scene of the Studénka train disaster in August 2008. The town is situated on both sides of the historical border...
  
  . Some initial reports indicate that part of the bridge fell onto the train while others state that the bridge was already collapsed. The bridge was still under construction at the time of the accident. At least ten people have died in the accident, and about 100 others aboard the train were injured. About 400 people were aboard the train.

August 10 – August 16

•   – Under the direction of Schenectady
  Schenectady, New York
  Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
  
  's City Historian, construction workers excavate a portion of one of the first railway tunnel
  Tunnel
  A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
  
  s in the United States. Eventually, plans are for a portion of the tunnel to be restored and opened for public display. The tunnel was initially dug in 1832, providing a 1500 feet (457.2 m) passage through which horse
  Horse
  The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
  
  -drawn trains traveled; the tunnel was closed and filled in 1838. It is believed that the original track through the tunnel remains in place but further excavation will be needed to determine this.

August 17 – August 23

•   – Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train
  Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train
  Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train is a proposed maglev train line from Shanghai to Hangzhou, to be built by Germany's Transrapid consortium . Originally planned to be ready for Expo 2010, the controversial project was repeatedly delayed, with final approval being granted on August 18, 2008...
  
   construction to begin in 2010. Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev project will be 199.43 km long, nearly 25 km longer than previously reported. Preparatory work should be done by the end of this year.

•   – Norges Statsbaner ordered 50 Flirt
  Stadler FLIRT
  Stadler FLIRT is an electric multiple unit produced by Stadler Rail AG. The articulated trainset comes in units of two to six cars with two to six motorized axles. The maximum speed is 200 km/h...
  
   electric multiple unit
  Electric multiple unit
  An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
  
  s from Stadler Rail
  Stadler Rail
  Stadler Rail AG , based in Bussnang, Switzerland, is a Swiss manufacturer of rail passenger cars.In 1942 Ernst Stadler founded the Stadler Engineering Office which later became Stadler Rail.- Factories :...
  
  . Delivery for the five-car units will start in 2012, costing NOK
  Norwegian krone
  The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
  
   4 billion. The trains will be used as part of the Oslo Commuter Rail
  Oslo Commuter Rail
  Oslo Commuter Rail is a commuter rail centered in Oslo, Norway, connecting the capital to six counties in Eastern Norway. The system is operated by the Norwegian State Railways and its subsidiary NSB Gjøvikbanen, using Class 69 and Class 72 electric multiple units . The network spans eight routes...
  
   and on intercity services.

•   – The Argentine
  Transportation in Argentina
  Transport in Argentina is mainly based on a complex network of routes, crossed by relatively inexpensive long-distance buses and by cargo trucks. The country also has a number of national and international airports. The importance of the long-distance train is minor today, though in the past it was...
  
   Ambassador to Venezuela Alicia Castro and Venezuelan Infrastructure Minister Isidro Rondon preside over ceremonies at La Rinconada station in Caracas
  Caracas
  Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
  
   to officially launch a project that will connect the capitals of the two nations by rail. In a speech at the ceremony, Rondon called the line that would travel southward from Caracas through Brazil to Buenos Aires
  Buenos Aires
  Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
  
  , "a realizable utopia." The three nations' governments hope the new line would encourage trade and foster further integration between them.