2021 in rail transport

January

 * 🇬🇧 January 4 – The Island Line, Isle of Wight temporarily closes for renovations and Class 483 units are withdrawn from service. The cars originally operated on the London Underground starting in 1938.
 * 🇨🇳 January 22 – Opening of the full Beijing–Shenyang high-speed railway.
 * 🇫🇷 January 28 – Opening of Porte de Clichy station on Paris Métro Line 14.

February

 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 February 7 – Transport for Wales Rail takes over the Wales & Borders franchise from KeolisAmey Wales.
 * 🇲🇽 February 27 – Metrorrey Line 3 commences operation in Monterrey, Mexico.

March

 * 🇧🇷 March 4 – Opening of 172 km stretch of North-South Railway.
 * 🇪🇬 March 26 – Sohag train collision
 * 🇰🇷 March 27 – Line 5 of the Seoul Subway is extended to Hanam Geomdansan.

April

 * 🇷🇺 April 1 – The Moscow Metro Bolshaya Koltsevaya line is extended to Mnyovniki.
 * 🇯🇵 April 1 – Formal closure of the Hidaka Main Line in Hokkaido
 * 🇹🇼 April 2 – Hualien train derailment
 * April 6 – The Te Huia passenger service between Hamilton and Papakuri begins, including the opening of a new transit hub in Hamilton.
 * 🇫🇷 April 10 – The Île-de-France tramway Line 9 opens.
 * 🇪🇬 April 18 – Toukh train accident
 * 🇧🇬 April 24 – Line 3 of the Sofia Metro is extended from Krasno Selo to Gorna Banya
 * 🇹🇼 April 25 – Taichung Metro's Green Line commences operation in Taichung. The line had opened the previous November, but was shut down for repairs after trains exhibited faulty couplers.



May

 * 🇲🇽 May 3 – Mexico City Metro overpass collapse
 * 🇸🇪🇩🇪 May 6 – Flixtrain begins operating long-distance passenger services from Stockholm to Gothenburg.
 * 🇪🇸 May 10 – SNCF open-access operator Ouigo España begins low-cost high-speed rail passenger services over the Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line.
 * 🇲🇾 May 24 – Kelana Jaya LRT collision

June

 * 🇵🇰 June 7 – 2021 Ghotki train collision: The Millat Express from Karachi derails near Daharki in Sindh province and the Sir Syed Express coming in the opposite direction collides with it and overturns, killing at least 50.
 * 🇪🇸 June 23 – Renfe begins Avlo low-cost high-speed rail passenger services over the Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line.
 * June 25
 * 🇨🇳 – Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, Xiamen Metro Line 3 begins operation.
 * 🇨🇳 – The first phase of Jiaxing Tram begins operation.
 * 🇨🇳 June 26 – Zhengzhou Metro Line 3 Extension begins operation.
 * 🇭🇰 June 27 – The Tuen Ma Line fully opens, with a new section between Hung Hom and Kai Tak.
 * 🇨🇳 June 28 – Mianyang–Luzhou high-speed railway (Neijiang-Zigong-Luzhou section), Hangzhou Metro Line 8, Hangzhou–Haining intercity railway, Shaoxing Metro Line 1 (Keqiao–Guniangqiao section), Changzhou Metro Line 2, Xuzhou Metro Line 3 begins operation.
 * 🇨🇳 June 29 – Xi'an Metro Line 14 begins operation and merges with the former Airport Intercity Line; Suzhou Rail Transit Line 5 begins operation.
 * 🇲🇺 June 30 – Metro Express (Mauritius) extended by 2 stations (Phase 2A).

July

 * 🇵🇭 July 5 – Manila LRT Line 2 East Extension opens.
 * 🇨🇳 July 20 – 2021 Henan floods overwhelm part of Zhengzhou Metro Line 5, killing 14.

August

 * 🇹🇭 August 2 – SRT Dark Red Line of Bangkok suburban railway system begins operation.
 * 🇨🇿 August 4 – Milavče train crash
 * 🇮🇳 August 6 – The final section of the Delhi Metro Pink Line between Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake and Mayur Vihar Pocket I opens after being previously delayed due to land acquisition and rehabilitation issues.
 * 🇫🇮 August 9 – The Tampere light rail system begins operation with Lines 1 and 3.
 * 🇨🇳 August 18 – The initial section of Foshan Nanhai Tram Line 1 opened.
 * 🇨🇳 August 26 – Line 7 and Batong line of Beijing Subway extended to station.
 * 🇸🇬 August 28 – Thomson–East Coast MRT line Stage 2 opens.
 * 🇨🇳 August 29 – Through operation of Line 1 and Batong line of Beijing Subway started.
 * 🇺🇸 August 30 – Opening of the Center City Corridor expansion of LYNX streetcar service in Charlotte, North Carolina.

September

 * 🇨🇳 September 19 – Opening of Line 2 of Harbin Metro.
 * 🇬🇧 September 20 – Opening of the Northern line extension to Battersea in London.
 * 🇺🇸 September 25 – Montana train derailment

October

 * 🇺🇸 October 2 – Opening of the Northgate Link extension in Seattle.
 * 🇹🇷 October 25 – Opening of the T3 line of AntRay tram in Antalya between Varsak and Müze stations.
 * 🇹🇷 October 25 – Opening of the Odunluk station of Bursaray in Bursa.
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 October 31 – Salisbury rail crash

November

 * 🇬🇧 November 1 – The Island Line, Isle of Wight recommenced service after upgrades and began using Class 484 units.
 * November 6 – Opening of Hanoi Metro. The first line 2A (Cat Linh Line) started to operate.
 * 🇺🇸 November 18 – Amtrak Cascades service restarts over the Point Defiance Bypass. The rail line was closed in 2017 after the service's inaugural run through the corridor resulted in a derailment.
 * November 20 – Regular scheduled passenger services recommence on the Dartmoor Line between Crediton and Okehampton.
 * November 21
 * 🇺🇸 – The Mid-Coast Trolley extension of the San Diego Trolley Blue Line opens for service in San Diego, California.
 * 🇵🇭 – The Philippine National Railways' first standard-gauge electric multiple unit stock for the North–South Commuter Railway was delivered.
 * 🇨🇳 November 26 – Harbin Metro Line 3 was extended on both ends to Sports Park on the west and to Taipingqiao on the east.

December

 * December 3
 * – Boten–Vientiane railway opens.
 * 🇨🇳 – Yuxi–Mohan railway opens.
 * 🇷🇺 December 7 – 10 stations of the Bolshaya Koltsevaya line of the Moscow Metro, between Mnyovniki and Kakhovskaya, open.
 * 🇩🇪 December 11 – Karlsruhe Stadtbahn city centre tunnel opened.
 * 🇹🇼 December 16 – Kaohsiung begins trial run of the section between Gushan District Office and TRA Museum of Fine Arts stations on the Circular light rail.
 * 🇧🇷 December 17 – São Paulo Metro Line 4 extension to Vila Sônia opens.
 * 🇸🇳 December 27 – TER Dakar phase 1 opening.
 * December 28
 * 🇮🇳 – The inaugural section of Kanpur Metro with nine stations opened.
 * 🇨🇳 – Opening of the Nanjing Metro Line S6, and the west extension of Line 2.
 * 🇧🇷 December 29 – Opening of São Paulo Metro Line 15 extension to Jardim Colonial.
 * 🇨🇳 December 31 – Opening of Line 11, Line 17, Line 19; extensions of Capital Airport Express, Changping line, Line S1, Line 16; and the central sections of Line 8 and Line 14 of Beijing Subway.

Japan

 * Awards presented by Japan Railfan Club:
 * 2021 Blue Ribbon Award: Kintetsu 80000 series Hinotori EMU, Kintetsu
 * 2021 Laurel Prize: E261 series EMU JR East, N700S Series Shinkansen JR Central

North America

 * Awards presented by Railway Age magazine
 * 2021 Railroader of the Year: Keith Creel (CP)