This article lists anniversary events related to rail transport that occurred on August 20.

• 1854 – The first trains operate in what is now Romania between Oraviţa, Transylvania, and Baziaş, on the Danube.
• 1868 – The Abergele train disaster, the first major railway disaster in Britain, occurs when a train uncouples and runs away down a steep incline; railroads install catchpoints to prevent such a disaster in the future.
• 1869 – An Irish Mail passenger train collides with cargo trucks loaded with paraffin leaving 33 dead.
• 1963 – The one millionth railroad carload of lettuce is shipped from Salinas, California.
• 1979 – San Diego's Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) purchases the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company in restored condition for $18.1 million.