Metre-gauge railway
Railway track gauge (1000 mm)
Metre-gauge railways (US : meter-gauge railways ) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+ 3 ⁄8 in ) or 1 metre .[ 1]
Metre gauge is used in around 95,000 kilometres (59,000 mi) of tracks around the world.[citation needed It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and Germany in their colonies. In Europe, large metre-gauge networks remain in use in Switzerland, Spain and many European towns with urban trams , but most metre-gauge local railways in France , Germany and Belgium closed down in the mid-20th century, although some still remain. With the revival of urban rail transport, metre-gauge light metros were built in some cities. The slightly-wider 1,009 mm (3 ft 3+ 23 ⁄32 in ) gauge is used in Sofia . Another similar gauge is 3 ft 6 in 1,067 mm ).
Examples of metre-gauge
Country/territory
Railway
Argentina
11,080 km (6,880 mi)
Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano
Austria
Bangladesh
1,830 km (1,140 mi), out of which 365 km (227 mi) are dual gauge with 1,676 mm 5 ft 6 in ) gauge
Belgium
Benin
578 km (359 mi)
Bolivia
3,600 km (2,200 mi)
Brazil
23,489 km (14,595 mi)
Mostly in cargo railways, including E.F Vitoria-Minas Passenger/Cargo Line and R.R. (operating)
Fortaleza Metro (operating)Teresina Metro (operating)
Bulgaria
154 km (96 mi) of 1,009 mm (3 ft 3+ 23 ⁄32 in ) gauge
Burkina Faso
Burma
3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) 160 kilometres (99 mi)
Cambodia
612 km (380 mi)
Cameroon
1,104 km (686 mi)
Chile
2,923 km (1,816 mi)
China
Croatia
Czech Republic
Like other Sudeten cities, the trams of Liberec used metre gauge in the past. All lines however have been rebuilt to standard gauge .
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Several metre gauge railways
Denmark
See Metre gauge railways in Denmark and Narrow-gauge railways in Denmark . A few local railways . Only one remains, but regauged to standard gauge.
Egypt
Finland
France
Historically used in many local and regional railways, only a few of which remain today.
Germany
Greece
The Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways used to be the largest metre-gauge network in Europe but are now largely abandoned. Only the suburban rail service of Patras , and the Olympia–Katakolo tourist railway still use the network.
Hungary
India
Nilgiri Mountain Railway (operating)
Mailani - Nanpara Railway (operating)
Iraq
Mesopotamian Railways
Israel
Sections of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+ 3 ⁄8 in ) railways, later converted to 1,050 mm (3 ft 5+ 11 ⁄32 in ) or 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+ 1 ⁄2 in ) gauge
Italy
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Laos
A 3.5 km extension of the metre-gauge State Railway of Thailand network across the border into Laos
Latvia
Liepāja tramway (operating)
Madagascar
875 km (544 mi). There are two unconnected systems operated by Madarail
Malaysia
Mali
641 km (398 mi)
Dakar–Niger Railway
Malta
Malta Railway
Morocco
Several industrial railways in former Spanish Morocco
New Zealand
Wellington Cable Car (operating)
Norway
Pakistan
Poland
Portugal
Several mainly mountainous branch lines, mostly abandoned in the 1990s, never fully interconnected — connected to the REFER network by means of shared stations and some dual-gauge stretches. Metro de Mirandela and Vouga line remain in use. Other metric networks include Funchal rack railway (defunct in 1943), Coimbra trams (defunct in 1980), and Sintra trams .
Puerto Rico
Full network of Puerto Rican 1000mm railways in 1920: 654 km (406 mi)[ 2]
Romania
Russia
Senegal
Dakar–Niger Railway – 1,287 km (800 mi)
Serbia
Belgrade Tram (operating)
Singapore
Singapore span of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railway ) for shuttle service .
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Skansens bergbana (operating)
Switzerland
Albula Railway and Bernina railway (crosses into Italy ). These railways share UNESCO World Heritage Site status as part of the Rhaetian Railway (operating)Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen railway , Altstätten–Gais railway line , Gossau–Wasserauen railway line , runs in the cantons of St. Gallen, Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden (operating)Dolderbahn , Funicular railway in Zurich converted into a rack railway and extended in the early 1970s. (operating)Forchbahn , runs as a tram in Zürich city and as a train outside the city (operating)Zentralbahn , merged with Luzern Stans Engelbergbahn, Brünigbahn and Meiringen Innertkirchen Bahn (operating)Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn , (operating)Chemins de fer du Jura , (operating)La Chaux-de-Fonds–Glovelier line , (operating)La Chaux-de-Fonds–Les Ponts-de-Martel railway , (operating)Saignelégier–La Chaux-de-Fonds Railway , (operating)Le Locle–Les Brenets line , (operating)Trams in Neuchâtel , (operating)Centovalli railway , (operating)Lugano–Ponte Tresa Railway , (operating)Martigny–Châtelard Railway , (operating)Chemin de fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez , (operating)Chemin de fer Bière-Apples-Morges , (operating)Chemin de fer Yverdon–Ste-Croix , (operating)Chemin de fer Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher , (operating)Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line , (operating)Transports Publics du Chablais , (operating)Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn , (operating)Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn , (operating)Biel–Täuffelen–Ins railway , (operating)Trams in Basel , (operating)Baselland Transport , (operating)Trams in Bern , (operating)Trams in Geneva , (operating)Berner Oberlandbahn , (operating)Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line , (operating)Gornergratbahn , (operating)Trams in Zürich , trams in Zürich city and Glattal (operating)
Tanzania
Tanzania Railways Corporation – about 2,600 km (1,600 mi) (break of gauge with 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm ) TAZARA Railway )
Thailand
State Railway of Thailand , 4,346 km (2,700 mi).
Togo
568 km (353 mi).
Tunisia
1,674 km (1,040 mi) used along with standard gauge (471 km (293 mi))
Turkey
Uganda
Uganda Railway run by Uganda Railways Corporation . Metre gauge link from Malaba to Kampala city centre (operating, under rehabilitation)Metre gauge link from Malaba to Tororo (operating)
Metre gauge link from Tororo - Gulu - Pakwach to Tororo (under rehabilitation)
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Vietnam
Vietnam Railways and KunHe Railway
See also
References
External links
Minimum-gauge Minimum-gauge railways Narrow gauge
2 foot and 600 mm 2 ft 3 in 686 mm )750 mm 2 ft 5+ 1 ⁄2 in )760 mm 2 ft 5+ 15 ⁄16 in )2 ft 6 in 762 mm )800 mm 2 ft 7+ 1 ⁄2 in )891 mm (2 ft 11+ 3 ⁄32 in ) Swedish three foot 900 mm 2 ft 11+ 7 ⁄16 in )3 ft 914 mm )950 mm 3 ft 1+ 3 ⁄8 in ) Italian metre gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+ 3 ⁄8 in ) metre gauge 1,050 mm 3 ft 5+ 11 ⁄32 in ),1,055 mm 3 ft 5+ 1 ⁄2 in ),3 ft 6 in 1,067 mm )1,093 mm 3 ft 7 in ),1,100 mm 3 ft 7+ 5 ⁄16 in ),1,200 mm 3 ft 11+ 1 ⁄4 in )4 ft 1,219 mm )4 ft 1 in (1,245 mm ), Middleton Railway 4 ft 6 in 1,372 mm ), Scotch gauge4 ft 6+ 1 ⁄2 in 1,384 mm ), Scotch gauge4 ft 7+ 3 ⁄4 in 1,416 mm )4 ft 8 in 1,422 mm ), almost standard gauge4 ft 8+ 1 ⁄4 in 1,429 mm )1,432 mm 4 ft 8+ 3 ⁄8 in ) Standard gauge Broad gauge
1,440 mm 4 ft 8+ 11 ⁄16 in )1,445 mm (4 ft 8+ 7 ⁄8 in )1,450 mm 4 ft 9+ 3 ⁄32 in )4 ft 9+ 3 ⁄8 in 1,457 mm )1,458 mm 4 ft 9+ 13 ⁄32 in )4 ft 10+ 7 ⁄8 in 1,495 mm ), Toronto gauge5 ft / 1,524 mm and 1,520 mm 4 ft 11+ 27 ⁄32 in ), Russian gauge.5 ft 2+ 1 ⁄4 in 1,581 mm and 5 ft 2+ 1 ⁄2 in 1,588 mm , Pennsylvania gauge5 ft 3 in 1,600 mm ), Irish gauge5 ft 4+ 1 ⁄2 in 1,638 mm ), Baltimore gauge1,668 mm 5 ft 5+ 21 ⁄32 in ), Iberian gauge5 ft 6 in 1,676 mm ), Indian gauge1,945 mm 6 ft 4+ 9 ⁄16 in ), De Arend7 ft 1 ⁄4 2,140 mm ), Brunel gauge3,000 mm 9 ft 10+ 1 ⁄8 in ), Breitspurbahn8,200 mm (26 ft 10+ 27 ⁄32 in ), Lärchwandschrägaufzug 9,000 mm (29 ft 6+ 5 ⁄16 in ), Krasnoyarsk ship lift List of track gauge articles Gauge differences Transport mode Categories
