Rapid transit track gauge

Track gauge
By transport mode
Tram · Rapid transit
Miniature · Scale model
By size (list)

Minimum
  Fifteen inch 381 mm (15 in)

Narrow
  Two foot and
600 mm
597 mm
600 mm
603 mm
610 mm
(1 ft 11 12 in)
(1 ft 11 58 in)
(1 ft 11 34 in)
(2 ft)
  750 mm,
Bosnian,
Two foot six inch,
800 mm
750 mm
760 mm
762 mm
800 mm
(2 ft 5 12 in)
(2 ft 5 1516 in)
(2 ft 6 in)
(2 ft 7 12 in)
  Swedish three foot,
900 mm,
Three foot
891 mm
900 mm
914 mm
(2 ft11 332 in)
(2 ft 11 716)
(3 ft)
  Metre 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in)
  Three foot six inch,
Cape, CAP, Kyōki
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
  Four foot six inch 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in)

  Standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)

Broad
  Russian,
Five foot (Finnish)
1,520 mm
1,524 mm
(4 ft 11 2732 in)
(5 ft)
  Irish 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
  Iberian 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 2132 in)
  Indian 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
  Brunel 2,140 mm (7 ft 14 in)
Change of gauge
Break-of-gauge · Dual gauge ·
Conversion (list) · Bogie exchange · Variable gauge
By location
North America · South America · Europe

Rapid transit track gauge is often 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge, but also 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm), 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in), 1,524 mm (5 ft), and 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in).

Broad gauge

Indian gauge

Delhi Metro uses Indian gauge, but new lines are built to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in).

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) uses Indian gauge, though most railroad lines in the United States are built to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) gauge.

Irish gauge

Pennsylvania trolley gauge

Finnish gauge

Russian gauge

Madrid gauge

Madrid Metro (293 km) uses 1,445 mm (4 ft 8 78 in).

Toronto TTC Gauge

The Toronto Subway (68.3 km) uses 1495 mm.[1]

Standard gauge usage

Standard gauge usage for all lines

Some of the largest subway systems in the world use standard gauge in agreement with the country wide dominant usage for track gauge, e.g.

Some networks use standard gauge while the country wide standard for track gauge is different, e.g.:

Standard gauge usage for new lines

In some networks new lines are built to standard gauge while old lines in the network use another gauge, e.g.:

Narrow gauge

4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) gauge

4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge

3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge

Meter gauge

Multiple sizes in one network

In some networks multiple gauges are used even amongst lines that are built around the same time, like the Toei Subway which uses three gauges:

The Tokyo Metro uses two gauges: standard gauge for the Ginza and Marunouchi Lines, and 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) for all other lines.

In other networks, very similar track gauges may be used, as is the case with the Hong Kong MTR (1,432 mm (4 ft 8 38 in) and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)).

References