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The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge (see the list of countries that use the standard gauge). Except for Russia and Finland, all high-speed lines are build to this gauge.
The distance between the inside edges of the rails of standard gauge track is 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm).
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As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the track gauge (the distance, or width, between the inner sides of the rails) that should be used. The eventual result was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a "standard gauge" of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) allowing inter-connectivity and the inter-operability of trains.
In England some early lines in colliery (coal mining) areas in the northeast of the country were built to a gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm); and in Scotland some early lines were 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) (Scotch gauge). By 1846, in both countries, these lines were widened to standard gauge. Parts of the United States rail system, mainly in the northeast, adopted the same gauge because some early trains were purchased from Britain. However, until well into the second half of the 19th century Britain and the USA had several different track gauges. The American gauges converged over time as the advantages of equipment interchange became more and more apparent; notably, the South's 5 ft (1,524 mm) broad gauge system was converted to be compatible with standard gauge over two days, beginning May 31, 1886.[3] See Track gauge in North America.
A popular legend, which has been around since at least 1937,[1] traces the origin of the 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge even further back than the coalfields of northern England, pointing to the evidence of rutted roads marked by chariot wheels dating from the Roman Empire. Snopes categorized this legend as false but commented that "...it is perhaps more fairly labeled as 'True, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons.'"[2] The historical tendency to place the wheels of horse-drawn vehicles approximately 5 feet (1,500 mm) apart probably derives from the width needed to fit a carthorse in between the shafts.[2] In addition, while road-traveling vehicles are typically measured from the outermost portions of the wheel rims (and there is some evidence that the first railroads were measured in this way as well), it became apparent that for vehicles travelling on rails, it was better to have the wheel flanges located inside the rails, and thus the distance measured on the inside of the wheels (and, by extension, the inside faces of the rail heads) was the important one.
There was no standard gauge for horse railways, but there were rough groupings: in the north of England none were less than 4 ft (1,219 mm).[3] Wylam colliery's system, built before 1763, was 5 ft (1,524 mm); as was John Blenkinsop's Middleton Railway, the old 4 ft (1,219 mm) plateway was relaid to 5 ft (1,524 mm) so that Blenkinsop's engine could be used.[3] Others were 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) Beamish or 4 ft 7 1⁄2 in (1,410 mm) (Bigges Main and Kenton and Coxlodge).[3]
The English railway pioneer George Stephenson spent much of his early engineering career working for the coal mines of County Durham. He favoured 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) for wagonways in Northumberland and Durham and used it on his Killingworth line.[3] The Hetton and Springwell wagonways also used the gauge.
Stephenson's Stockton and Darlington railway (S&DR) was built primarily to transport coal from several mines near Shildon to the port at Stockton-on-Tees. The S&DR's initial track gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawn chaldron wagons[4] that were already in use on the wagonways in the mines. It was built and used at this gauge for fifteen years before being changed to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge.[3][5]
George Stephenson used the 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge (with a belated extra 0.5 in/13 mm of free movement to reduce binding on curves[5]) for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, authorised in 1826 and opened 30 September 1830. The success of this project led to George Stephenson and his son Robert being employed to engineer several other larger railway projects. However, the Chester and Birkenhead Railway, authorised on 12 July 1837, was 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm);[13] the Eastern Counties Railway, authorised on 4 July 1836, was 5 ft (1,524 mm);[14] London and Blackwall Railway, authorised on 28 July 1836, was 5 ft (1,524 mm);[15] the London and Brighton Railway, authorised on 15 July 1837, was 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm);[16] the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, authorised on 30 June 1837, was 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm);[17] the Manchester and Leeds Railway, authorised on 4 July 1836, was 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm)[18] and the Northern and Eastern Railway, authorised on 4 July 1836, was 5 ft (1,524 mm).[19] The 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm) railways were intended to take 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge vehicles and allow a (second) running tolerance.
The influence of the Stephensons appears to be the main reason that the 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge became the standard, and its use became more widespread than any other gauge. .
During the "gauge war" with the Great Western Railway, standard gauge was called narrow gauge.
In 1845, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, a Royal Commission reported in favour of a standard gauge. In Great Britain, Stephenson's gauge was chosen as the standard gauge on the grounds that lines already built to this gauge were eight times longer than that of the rival 7 ft 0 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) gauge, adopted principally by the Great Western Railway. The subsequent Gauge Act ruled that new passenger-carrying railways in Great Britain should be built to a standard gauge of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm); and those in Ireland to a standard gauge of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm). It allowed the broad gauge companies in Great Britain to continue repairing their tracks and expanding their networks within the Limits of Deviation and the exceptions defined in the Act. After an intervening period of mixed-gauge operation (tracks were laid with three running-rails), the Great Western Railway finally converted its entire network to standard gauge in 1892.
John Whitton, the longest serving engineer of the New South Wales Railways, was always being pressured to cut costs on new construction, by using horses or by using a narrower gauge. He resisted as much as possible so as to avoid any wasteful breaks-of-gauge, but did eventually introduce so-called pioneer lines for more remote and lightly trafficked areas to reduce costs. These lines eliminated extravagances like fencing, used half-round sleepers, light rails and replaced metal ballast with earth or ash. Only light locomotives were allowed. Speeds and axleloads and train loads were thus limited.
Pioneer rolling stock would have light and thus weak drawgear and couplings limited the length and weight of trains, forcing these waggons at best to be marshalled at the rear of trains containing ordinary strength drawgear and couplings.
Only if traffic increased would these lines be upgraded to normal standards of construction. Indeed as the country was developed, many lines including those not of the pioneer type have seen their rail weights increase to allow heavier axleload, heavier engines and heavier and faster trains, all of which can be done progressively and incrementally without any need to change the gauge.
Several states in the United States had laws requiring that road vehicles have a consistent gauge. This would allow the vehicles to follow ruts in the road all the better. These gauges were roughly similar to the railway standard gauge.[21]
| Country/region | Companies | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | Hekurudha Shqiptarë | |
| Algeria | Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires, Algiers Metro, Algiers tramway,Constantine tramway, Oran tramway,Oran Metro | |
| Argentina | Railroad Development Corporation[22] - former Urquiza Line | Other lines are mostly 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge (Indian gauge)
Further information: Rail transport in Argentina
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| Australia | Pacific National, Pilbara Railways
Further information: List of Australian railway companies
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Further information: Rail gauge in Australia
|
| Austria | Österreichische Bundesbahnen | |
| Azerbaijan | ||
| Belgium | NMBS/SNCB, Brussels Metro and tramway | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Željeznice Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine and Željeznice Republike Srpske, formed from former Yugoslav Railways, Sarajevo tramways |
Further information: Rail transport in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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| Brazil | Estrada de Ferro do Amapá 1,440 mm (4 ft 8 11⁄16 in); Line 5; Uruguaiana - Border to Argentina (mixed gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)); Santana do Livramento - Border to Uruguay (mixed gauge 1,435 and 1,000 mm);
Remaining tracks at Jaguarão (Rio Grande do Sul) currently without operation |
Estrada de Ferro do Amapá, Jane's World Railways 1969/1970 edition gives 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Bulgaria | National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC), Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), Sofia Underground,[23] Part of Sofia Tramway system [24] |
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| Canada | Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railways, Via Rail, BC Rail, SRY, SkyTrain (Vancouver), West Coast Express (Vancouver), O-Train, GO Transit, Edmonton Light Rail Transit, C-Train, Scarborough RT (Toronto Transit Commission) |
Further information: List of Canadian railways
|
| China | Rail transport in the People's Republic of China | A majority of lines are in standard gauge, and Chinese law requires all new state-funded lines to be built with standard gauge. Some meter-gauge and narrow-gauge lines built early in history are still in operation in some areas. |
| Croatia | Hrvatske Željeznice formed from former Yugoslav Railways |
Further information: Transport in Croatia
|
| Cuba | Ferrocarriles de Cuba | |
| Czech Republic | České dráhy Prague metro all tramway systems in the country (Liberec has dual gauge 1000/1435 mm, with one meter-gauge interurban line to Jablonec nad Nisou) Funicular in Prague |
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| Denmark | Banedanmark and Copenhagen Metro | |
| Egypt | Egyptian National Railways | |
| England | Liverpool and Manchester Railway | Possibly the first railway built to standard gauge from the start. |
| Estonia / Latvia / Lithuania / Belarus | Eesti Raudtee | Re-gauging all existing system from 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 5⁄6 in) and mounting some industrial railways during World War II; 1944-45 all railways re-gauged to 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 5⁄6 in). |
| Finland | Finnish Rail Administration | Only at Turku ferry terminal for train ferries to Stockholm, and a freight yard in Tornio. |
| France | SNCF, RATP (on RER lines) | |
| Germany | Deutsche Bahn | |
| Georgia | ||
| Greece | Hellenic Railways Organisation | |
| Hong Kong | Rail transport in Hong Kong | several MTR lines use 1,432 mm (4 ft 8 3⁄8 in), instead of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)[25][26][27][28] |
| Hungary | MÁV, GySEV Budapest metro Tramway systems in Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged Budapest cogwheel railway |
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| India | Only use for most of city rail systems: Delhi Metro (Phase 2), Mumbai Metro, Calcutta Tramway, etc. | Indian heavy rail systems (Indian Railways) use 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Indian broad gauge. |
| Indonesia | Built in Aceh Province | |
| Iran | Islamic Republic of Iran Railways | |
| Iraq | ||
| Ireland | Railway Procurement Agency | Luas in Dublin |
| Israel | Israel Railways, CTS - operating the Jerusalem Light Rail | |
| Italy | Ferrovie dello Stato | |
| Japan | Shinkansen, JR Hokkaido Naebo Works (see Train on Train), Keisei Line, Keikyu Line Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Kintetsu Corp (not including the Minami-Osaka Line (1,067 mm), etc.), Keihan Railway, Hankyu Railway, Hanshin Railway, Kyoto Municipal Subway, Osaka Municipal Subway.[29] | |
| Kazakhstan | (construction abandoned) | |
| Korea | KRNA, Railways of the DPRK | |
| Lebanon | all lines out of service and more or less dismantled | |
| Libya | network under construction | |
| Lithuania | Line to Šeštokai from Poland (mixed gauge between Mockava and Šeštokai) | |
| Macedonia | Macedonian Railways | |
| Malaysia | RapidKL (Kelana Jaya Line, Ampang Line), KLIA Ekspres | |
| Mexico[30] |
Further information: List of Mexican railroads
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| Monaco | ||
| Montenegro | Željeznice Crne Gore | |
| Morocco | ||
| Netherlands | Nederlandse Spoorwegen and regional railways. | |
| Norway | Norwegian National Rail Administration | |
| Panama | Panama Railway | since 2000 |
| Paraguay | Ferrocarril Presidente Don Carlos Antonio López, now Ferrocarril de Paraguay S.A. (FEPASA) | Now working on 36 km out of Asunción, as a tourist steam line; also on 5 km from Encarnación to the border with the Argentine, carrying mainly exported soy; the rest of the 441 km of the line awaits its fate, while redevelopment plans come and go with regularity. The section from West of Encarnación to North of San Salvador and the complete San Salvador - Abaí branch have been dismantled by the railway itself to get funds through selling scrap. |
| Peru | Railroad Development Corporation[31] Ferrocarril Central Andino Callao - Lima - La Oroya - Huancayo, La Oroya - Cerro del Pasco ; Ferrocarril del sur de Peru operated by Peru Rail Matarani - Arequipa - Puno and Puno - Cuzco; Ilo - Moquegua mining railroad; Tacna - Arica (Chile) international line, operated by Tacna province; Electric suburban railway of Lima | |
| Philippines | Manila Light Rail Transit and Manila Metro Rail Transit. | |
| Poland | Polskie Koleje Panstwowe, Warsaw Metro, most tramway systems throughout the country | |
| Portugal | Planned high-speed lines; Braga funicular; Lisbon Metro; Metro do Porto (adapted from former 1000 mm tracks); Almada trams. | |
| Romania | Căile Ferate Române | |
| Russia | Rostov-on-Don tramway, lines connecting Kaliningrad with Poland | |
| Serbia | Serbian Railways | |
| Singapore | MRT | |
| Slovakia | Železnice Slovenskej republiky, Košice tramway system | |
| Slovenia | Slovenske železnice | |
| South Africa | Gautrain in Gauteng Province | Rest of country uses Cape Gauge |
| Spain | AVE High-Speed Train lines from Madrid to Seville, Málaga, Saragossa, Barcelona (-Perthus), Toledo, Huesca and Valladolid, Barcelona Metro L2, L3, L4, L5 lines. Barcelona FGC lines L6, L7, and Metro Vallès S1, S2, S5, S55. | All other 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 2⁄3 in) (broad gauge) and some 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) (meter gauge). |
| Sweden | Swedish State Railways | |
| Switzerland | Swiss Federal Railways | |
| Syria | ||
| Taiwan | Taipei Rapid Transit System, Taiwan High Speed Rail, and Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit | |
| Thailand | Bangkok Skytrain, Bangkok Metro and Suvarnabhumi Airport Link. | |
| Tunisia | Northern part of the network | |
| Turkey | TCDD (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları (Turkish State Railways) | |
| Turkmenistan | (never built) | |
| United Kingdom (Great Britain) | Entire Network Rail network (since standardisation by the Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846) | See also the Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846 |
| United States | Modern national rail network | Although it was already in use on many other lines prior to 1863 the Pacific Railway Act of March 3, 1863, specified that the federally funded transcontinental railroad was to use standard gauge and helped to further popularize it among American railroads.[32] |
| Uruguay | ||
| Vietnam | north of Hanoi[33] | Includes dual gauge (standard/metre) to the PRC border. |
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