1957 in rail transport

January

 * January 1 – The Chicago and North Western Railway leases the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway (the Omaha Road).
 * January 12 – Operations of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway's Super Chief and El Capitan passenger trains are combined during off-peak seasons.
 * January 22 – Last day of steam locomotive operations on the Southern Pacific.

February

 * February 7 – Southern Pacific 4-6-2 #2472 (now preserved) is retired from revenue service.

March

 * March 17 – The Milwaukee Road operates its last steam locomotive.
 * March 21 – Deutsche Bundesbahn puts in operation its first E 40 locomotive.
 * March 29 – The New York, Ontario & Western Railway is abandoned, the largest single railroad abandonment in the United States (541 mi).
 * March 29 – The Central Vermont Railway dieselizes.

April

 * April 7 – New York City trolleys run for the last time.

May

 * May 7 – The Flying Yankee trainset is retired from revenue service on the Boston & Maine and Maine Central railroads.
 * May 17 – Canadian National opens a new track alignment between Toronto and Montreal to make way for construction of the St Lawrence Seaway.
 * May 24 – The Pacific Electric Bellflower Line ceases operation.

June

 * June 2 – First Trans Europ Express diesel trains run in Europe.
 * June 6 – Pere Marquette Railroad steam locomotive 2-8-4 number 1225 is given to Michigan State University for display on campus.

July

 * July 3 – The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad abruptly ceases to carry passengers at 12:13pm.
 * July 11 – Southern Pacific's Colton Cutoff around Los Angeles is opened to traffic.
 * July 27 – The Musquodoboit Railway ends steam locomotive operations with a round trip between Dartmouth and Upper Upper Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, behind Canadian National number 3409.

August

 * August 27 – The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway retires its last steam locomotive.

September

 * September 1 – 175 die in Jamaica's worst railway disaster.
 * September 7 – The Pennsylvania Railroad discontinues the Morning Steeler passenger train between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
 * September 28 – Newtown Tram Depot in Sydney is closed.

October

 * October 6 – The Chicago "L" Stock Yards branch serving Union Stock Yards is closed.
 * October 21 – Two trains collide in Turkey; 95 die.
 * October 31 – Canadian National receives authorization to operate the former New York Central Railroad (NYC) lines in Ottawa to reach industries that were originally served by NYC.

November

 * November 1 – Class I railroads report they roster 27,108 diesel and 2,697 steam locomotives. An additional 721 steam locomotives are in storage.
 * November 15 – A first section of Nagoya Municipal Subway, Nagoya Station to Sakae Station route start operation in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Unknown date

 * William N. Deramus III becomes president of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad.
 * Estación Federico Lacroze in Buenos Aires, Argentina, opens.
 * The California State Legislature establishes the five-county San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.
 * Pandrol clip patented by Norwegian railway engineer Per Pande Rolfsen.

March deaths

 * March 9 – Robert Whitelegg, locomotive superintendent for London, Tilbury and Southend Railway 1910-1912, and for Glasgow & South Western Railway 1918-1923, general manager of Beyer, Peacock & Company 1923-1929, dies (b. 1871).

July deaths

 * July 13 - Sim Webb, Casey Jones' fireman on the famous run (born 1874).