This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1846.
January 13 - Opening of the Milan–Venice railway's 3.2 km (2.0 mi) bridge over the Venetian Lagoon between Mestre and Venice in Italy.
March 26 - John M. Forbes becomes president of the Michigan Central Railroad.
June 20 - The Paris–Lille railway is opened in France.
June 22 - The North British Railway is opened to public traffic between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed, the first line to cross the border between Scotland and England. Waverley Station is opened.
June 26 - The Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) is authorised by Act of Parliament with powers to construct a direct line from London to York with a loop via Boston, 233.5 mi (375.8 km) with a capital of £5,600,000, the largest single scheme ever approved by Parliament.
July 1 - The Leeds and Bradford Railway opens between Leeds and Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
July 15 - The first railway line in Hungary opens between Pest and Vác.
July 16 - The London and North Western Railway is formed in England by amalgamation of the London and Birmingham Railway, Grand Junction Railway and Manchester and Birmingham Railway.
August 18 - Gauge Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom rules that new railways in Great Britain should be built to standard gauge and 5 ft 3 inches in Ireland unless otherwise authorised.
August 28 - Railway Mania reaches its zenith as the Parliament of the United Kingdom closes its session having passed 272 Acts setting up new railway companies.
September 21 - The town of Kendal, England, declares a public holiday for the opening of the Kendal, Oxenholme and Lancaster section of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway; the first revenue trains are operated on September 22.
November 10 - Portland Company established by John A. Poor and Septimus Norris of the Norris Locomotive Works.
December 17 - The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway is opened throughout to Carlisle.
October 6 - George Westinghouse, American inventor; developed the Westinghouse air brake (d. 1914).
Lucius E. Johnson, president of the Norfolk and Western Railroad 1904–1921 (d. 1921).
1846 in rail transport Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA