Metre gauge

Track gauge
Break-of-gauge - Dual gauge
Gauge conversion (list) - Bogie exchange - Variable gauge
Rail track - Tramway track

by size mm ft′ in″
  Broad
  Brunel 2140 7′ 0¼
  Indian 1676 5′ 6″
  Iberian 1668 5′ 5
  Irish 1600 5′ 3″
  Russian 1520 4′ 11
  Standard (Stephenson) 1435 4′ 8½″
  Narrow/Medium
  Scotch 1372 4′ 6″
  Cape 1067 3′ 6″
  Metre 1000 3′ 3
  Narrow
  Three foot 914 3′
  Bosnian 760 2′ 5
  Narrow/Minimum
  Fifteen inch 381 2′ 3″
North America - South America - Europe

Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in). In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland and northern Spain do huge metre gauge networks remain in continuous use. Also, many European urban trams run on metre gauge. With the revival of urban rail transport, in some cities metre gauge light metros were established, while in other cities metre gauge was replaced by standard gauge.

Contents

Present metre gauge railroad and tram systems

Asia

South-east Asia

South Asia

Americas

Africa

Eastern Africa

Northern Africa

Western Africa

Europe

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Croatia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Italy

Latvia

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Serbia

Slovakia

Spain

Switzerland

Ukraine

Table

Country/region Notes
Argentina Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano, now Belgrano Cargas, Tren de las Nubes
Bangladesh
Benin
Brazil
Bolivia All railway lines
Burkina Faso
Bulgaria Most of the Sofia Tramway system, except for three lines with standard gauge. When the condition of tracks vastly deteriorated during WW2, it was formally widened to 1,013 mm (3 ft 3.88 in) in order to avoid loss of the licence. Then it gradually narrowed to 1,009 mm (3 ft 3.72 in) with a tendency to be reverted back to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in). All these changes affected only the infrastructure and not the rolling stock.
Burma
Cambodia
Cameroon
Chile Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado, Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia.
China
Croatia Tramways in Zagreb and Osijek
Denmark A few local railways. None remains. Århus tramway (closed), Danish tramway museum.
Djibouti Djibouti to Addis Abeba
Ethiopia Addis Abeba - Djibouti line
Finland Helsinki tram
France Historically used in many local and regional railways, only a few of which remain today. Includes Saint-Gervais-Vallorcine Line and Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains - La Tour-de-Carol and Salbris - Luçay-le-Mâle operated by SNCF. Chemins de fer de la Provence (Train des pignes); Chemins de fer de Corse; Chemin de Fer de La Mure.
Germany Harzer Schmalspurbahnen, trams
Greece mainly in the Peloponnese
India Pachora-Jamner line
Italy Trento-Malè-Mezzana, owned by Trentino Trasporti, Ferrovia Genova-Casella, Domodossola-Locarno international railway, Trieste-Opicina tramway, Rittnerbahn-ferrovia del Renon tramway, Laas-Lasa marble quay railway
Ivory Coast
Iraq
Kenya
Laos
Latvia Liepāja tramway
Madagascar
Malaysia KTM line
Mali
Norway Thamshavn Line and Trondheim Tramway
Pakistan
Poland City trams of: Łódź (including suburban lines), Bydgoszcz and Toruń (planned to be interconnected), Grudziądz, and Elbląg
Portugal Several mainly mountainous branch lines, partly abandoned, never fully interconnected; connected to the REFER network by means of shared stations and some dual gauge stretches.
Romania Tram systems in Arad, Iaşi and Sibiu, also in Galaţi until fully replaced by standard gauge in 1975.
Russia Kaliningrad and Pyatigorsk tramways
Senegal
Serbia Belgrade Tram, Šargan Eight
Singapore KTM line to Malaysia
Slovakia Bratislava trams/streetcars, mountain railroad and a cogwheel railroad in the area of High Tatras (Tatranské elektrické železnice), Children's railway (Detská železnica) in Košice.
Spain FEVE lines in north-west Spain, including the Transcantábrico

Barcelona Metro line 8 and FGC suburban lines S4, S8, R5 and R6
Cercanías Madrid line C-9 (Cercedilla–Cotos)

Switzerland Nearly all narrow-gauge railways: suburban railways, mountain railways, rack railways, some long-distance railways and trams.
Tanzania except for TAZARA
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey Istanbul nostalgic trams
Uganda
Ukraine Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr and Eupatoria tramways
Vietnam

See also

External links