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This is a list of notable railway track gauge conversions, railway lines where the distance between the rails is broadened or narrowed. Conversions to broader gauge are generally to accommodate heavier loads or for wider cars, while conversions to narrower gauge tend to be for compatibility with other lines on a rail network. This list also contains instances of lines already prepared for conversion and those which are planned to be converted.
New gauge (mm) | Original (mm) | Date | Location | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | Angola | Luanda Railway | |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1950s | Angola | Moçâmedes Railway [1] [2] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1970 | Australia | Transcontinental line: Broken Hill to Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie to Perth as part of the Sydney–Perth rail corridor. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1980 | Australia | Completion of the penultimate link in the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor, from Tarcoola to Alice Springs. The new line replaced the ancient narrow-gauge Central Australia Railway that was on a different, more floodprone alignment.[ citation needed ] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | 1990-1995 | Australia | Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor – 600 km (370 mi) of convertible sleepers installed in 1990 to facilitate quick conversion in 1995.[ citation needed ] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 2004 | Australia | Completion of the final link in the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor, from Alice Springs to Darwin. For about half the distance, the new line replaced the ancient narrow-gauge North Australia Railway that was closed in 1976.[ citation needed ] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | 2008–2010 | Australia | North East railway line in Victoria. A 200 km (120 mi) section between Seymour and Albury was converted, changing two parallel tracks of different gauges to double track. The Oaklands line that would otherwise have been left as an orphan was converted in 2009. The cost of converting this 126 km (78 mi) line has been estimated as just over A$ 13,000,000. [3] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | 2012 | Australia | South Australia planned to convert its suburban (broad gauge) network to standard gauge in 2012, in conjunction with proposed electrification works. The Outer Harbour and Belair lines were rebuilt with gauge convertible sleepers and re-sleepering of the Gawler line commenced in 2010. The Seaford line was to commence once the Gawler line was completed. [4] However, both gauge conversion and electrification works were suspended due to funding constraints, with work unlikely to proceed for the foreseeable future.[ needs update ][ citation needed ] |
1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) (temporary) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1950s | Australia | The Mount Gambier line in South Australia was fitted with some 3-gauge steel sleepers when it was "temporarily" converted,[ ambiguous ] pending later proposed conversion to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (which did not occur, the line being abandoned instead).[ citation needed ] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | Australia | In Western Australia, the narrow-gauge iron ore railways serving Geraldton port and the new port at Oakajee will be designed for ease of conversion to standard gauge. [5] [ needs update ] | |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | 2016–present | Australia | In Victoria, several wheat lines amounting to about 1,100 km (680 mi) of track, were (or are to be) converted to standard gauge, including: [6] Maryborough to Mildura, Yelta and Murrayville; Sea Lake and Manangatang. Lines will be converted to dual gauge between Gheringhap to Maryborough. This is part of the Murray Basin Rail Project. |
900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 2008–2009 | Austria | Pöstlingbergbahn |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) | 1961 | Austria | Tschagguns–Partenen railway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | 1854–1855 | Baden | Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway |
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in), 2 ft 6 in (762 mm), 2 ft (610 mm) | ongoing | Bangladesh | |
762 mm (2 ft 6 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1898 | Barbados | Barbados Railway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | 1880s | Canada | Numerous Provincial Gauge railways in Canada |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1881 | Canada | Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1883 | Canada | Toronto and Nipissing Railway with third rail stage. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | 1938 | China | Chinese–Russian-owned line [7] |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | China | South Manchuria Railway, during the Russo-Japanese War | |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | China | South Manchuria Railway, following the Russo-Japanese War | |
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | Czech Republic | Muzeum Průmyslových Železnic | |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 1956 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kindu (Lualaba River port) – Kibombo – Kongolo – Kabalo (Lualaba River port and junction with Katanga line) – Nyunzu – Niemba – Kalemie (the port on Lake Tanganyika): This line was isolated meter gauge until 1955, when the gauge was changed for the connection with the Katanga line in 1956. |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) | 1932 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Matadi–Kinshasa Railway converted to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) on new alignment. |
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 610 mm (2 ft) | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Mayumbe line | |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 1924 | Denmark | Skagen Line in Denmark |
500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | France | Chemin de Fer Touristique du Tarn | |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) | 1941 | Nazi Germany | Brest–Minsk [8] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 1964/65 | Germany | Zabergäu Railway |
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 2004 | Germany | Malente-Gremsmühlen–Lütjenburg railway |
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 2006 | Germany | Waldheim–Kriebethal railway |
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in), 2 ft 6 in (762 mm), 2 ft (610 mm) | ongoing | India | Project Unigauge |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1923 | Japan | Iyo Railway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in) | 1959 | Japan | Keisei Electric Railway; converted for through-service into Toei Asakusa Line |
1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) | 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | early 1970s | Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic | Kokchetav network, 305 km (190 mi), operational since 1954, partly regauged to Russian gauge. [9] |
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | Laos | Don Det–Don Khon narrow-gauge railway | |
750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | Latvia | Liepāja–Rucava line, 52 km military line | |
750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | Lithuania | ||
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1950s | Yugoslavia: North Macedonia | Ohrid line |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 610 mm (2 ft) | 1910 | Mozambique / Zimbabwe | Beira–Salisbury |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1950 | Namibia | Moçâmedes Railway |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1915–1961 | Namibia | Otavi Mining and Railway Company |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1910– | Namibia | Swakopmund–Windhoek line |
914 mm (3 ft) | 610 mm (2 ft) | 1920 | Nauru | Rail transport in Nauru |
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) | 2018 | Nepal | Jaynagar–Janakpur railway was regauged. |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | New Zealand | Canterbury Provincial Railways | |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) | 1912–1914 | Nigeria | Bauchi Light Railway |
Nigeria | Port Harcourt – Onne, convertible sleepers installed since gauge conversion not imminent. | |||
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 1915 | Norway | Sulitjelma Line converted from 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) to dual gauge with 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and when later closed was converted to a road. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1922 | Norway | Skøyen–Filipstad Line |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1922 | Norway | Trondhjem–Støren Line |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1935 | Norway | Arendal Line |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1944 | Norway | Ålgård Line |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1941 | Norway / Nazi Germany | Røros Line in occupied Norway converted by German forces. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1949 | Norway | Grevskap Line in Norway |
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in), 2 ft 6 in (762 mm), 2 ft (610 mm) | 2000 | Pakistan | All narrow-gauge tracks in Pakistan were re-gauged or were dismantled. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | 2001 | Panama | The Panama Canal Railroad, by then in a dilapidated state, was reconstructed and relaid. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 914 mm (3 ft) | 2009 | Peru | Peru from Huancayo to Huancavelica; 147 km (91 mi). [10] [11] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 2019–ongoing | Philippines | The Philippine National Railways is reconstructing its dilapidated narrow-gauge network to standard gauge. [12] [13] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | after 1918 | Poland | In part of Poland under Russian control (Russian Partition), some railways were Russian broad gauge. These were converted to standard gauge after Poland gained independence, to unify the national system. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1924 | Poland | World War I field railway connecting Nasielsk and Sierpc, 88 km long. |
750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 1932 | Poland | World War I field railway from Dūkštas to Druya. After the occupation of the Vilnius Region by Poland, the PKP regauged the line. [14] After World War II the majority of the line ended up in Belorussian SSR and closed in the 1970s. [15] |
1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) | 1,664 mm (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 19th century | Portugal | |
1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 2004 | Portugal | The Guimarães line in Portugal was electrified and converted from metre gauge to Iberian broad gauge in 2004. |
1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 2003-2019 | Russia | The railways of Sakhalin Island were converted in sections, first laying the third (outer) rail, making rail lines usable by both Japanese- and Russian-gauge trains. Once the railways throughout the island have been converted to the Russian gauge (by 2012), the inner rail was removed. [16] |
–1918 | Russian Empire / German Empire | World War I as fronts and borders changed | ||
–1945 | Soviet Union / Nazi Germany | World War II as fronts and borders changed | ||
1,524 mm (5 ft) | 1,829 mm (6 ft) | 1897 | Russian Empire | The first railway in Russia connecting Saint Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | (proposed) | Sierra Leone | Port Pepel iron ore line, derelict [17] |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 610 mm (2 ft) | South Africa | ||
1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) | 1,672 mm (5 ft 5+13⁄16 in) | 19th century | Spain | |
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1976 | Spain | The line from Cartagena to Los Blancos was converted at the same time it was extended to Los Nietos. [18] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) | 2000s | Spain | Spain is building its high-speed lines to standard gauge, even though the existing system is Iberian; new cutoff lines are being built with gauge-convertible sleepers. |
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) | 1996 | Sri Lanka | The only narrow-gauge lines in Sri Lanka: Kelani Valley line was regauged while the 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) Uda Pussellawa railway was dismantled. |
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1960s | Sweden | The Östra Södermanlands Järnväg railway in Mariefred mostly runs on tracks which were converted from standard gauge when it was remade into a heritage railway in the 1960s. |
891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1934 | Sweden | The short and isolated standard gauge tram line Långängsbanan built in 1911 in the northern Stockholm suburb of Stocksund, was converted to the narrow 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) Swedish three foot of the adjacent Roslag Railway in 1934. Långängsbanan was closed in 1966. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) | 1973-1978 | Sweden | The railway between Kalmar and Berga was converted during the 1970s. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) | 1972 | Sweden | The railway between Sandbäckshult and Mönsterås was converted between 1970 and 1972. In Sandbäckshult, the line connects to the Kalmar-Berga line. Both were converted to facilitate standard gauge transport to the pulp mill in Mönsterås. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) | 1953-1962 | Sweden | Kinnekulle Line |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | 1854 | Switzerland | Swiss Northern Railway |
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 2022 | Switzerland | Waldenburg Railway Being converted as part of a modernisation of the line. |
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 2010 | Switzerland | Swiss National Railway The former Nationalbahn line from Aarau to Suhr was converted to metre gauge to allow replacement of a street running section on the Menziken–Aarau–Schöftland railway line |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in) | (proposed) | Syria | Hejaz Railway |
Tanzania | Tanzania in 2008 is proposed 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)/1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) steel sleepers and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)/1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) concrete sleepers to suit gauge conversion. | |||
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1920 onward | Thailand | From 1920, the standard gauge part of the Siam railway amounting to 1,000 km (620 mi) was converted first to third rail, and then to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) (metre gauge) making the whole system metre gauge. [19] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | (proposed) | Tunisia | Tunis - Sfax Line |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) | 1920s | Turkey | Kars–Gyumri–Tbilisi railway |
750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) | 1948–1949 | Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic | Beregovo region network, around 200 km (120 mi); initially built during the Hungarian Empire and regauged when Ukraine became part of the Soviet Union. [20] |
750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) | Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic | Uzhhorod region, 35 km (22 mi). [20] | |
750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic | Vapniarka railways, 140 km (87 mi). | |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | 1844 | United Kingdom: England | The Eastern Counties Railway, constructed in 1839 and the connecting Northern and Eastern Railway, constructed in 1840. |
610 mm (2 ft) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | United Kingdom: Wales | Eigiau Reservoir Tramway | |
381 mm (15 in) | 610 mm (2 ft) | 1916 | United Kingdom: Wales | Fairbourne Railway |
311 mm (12+1⁄4 in) | 381 mm (15 in) | 1986 | United Kingdom: Wales | Fairbourne Railway |
610 mm (2 ft) | 914 mm (3 ft) | 1986 | United Kingdom: Wales | Gorseddau Junction and Portmadoc Railway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 2,140 mm ( 7 ft 1⁄4 in ) | 1892 | United Kingdom: England / Wales | Great Western Railway |
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | 597 mm (1 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | United Kingdom: England | Lynton and Barnstaple Railway | |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 597 mm (1 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | 2002 | United Kingdom: England | Southport Pier Tramway |
597 mm (1 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1950 | United Kingdom: England | Southport Pier Tramway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 2,140 mm ( 7 ft 1⁄4 in ) | 1872 | United Kingdom: Wales | Teifi Valley Railway |
603 mm (1 ft 11+3⁄4 in) | 597 mm (1 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | 1901–1902 | United Kingdom: Wales | Vale of Rheidol Railway |
825 mm (2 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 610 mm (2 ft) | 1884 | United Kingdom: England | Volk's Electric Railway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,473 mm (4 ft 10 in) | 1866 | United States New Jersey | Morris and Essex converted in 12 days [21] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | 1871 | United States Maine | Maine Central Railroad Company |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 914 mm (3 ft) | 1879 | United States California | Monterey Branch Line |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 914 mm (3 ft) | 1881 | United States Colorado | Denver to Pueblo on Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. [22] This began a progressive and gradual conversion to standard gauge across Colorado, wherever the traffic justified the conversion |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | 1886 | United States | AN ACT to establish the gauge of the Pacific railroad and its branches. [23] set the standard for the First transcontinental railroad and encouraged previously laid lines to regauge. Southern railroads were not converted until 1886 [24] when they were regauged to 1448 mm (4 ft 9 in). This was functionally compatible with standard gauge, final conversions taking place as track was maintained. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | 1906 | United States California | Market Street Railway Polk cable car rebuilt as standard gauge electric trolley following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake [25] |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1898 | United States California | San Diego Electric Railway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 914 mm (3 ft) | 1902 | United States Iowa | Burlington and Northwestern Railway |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 1906 | United States California | Venice Short Line when sold from the Los Angeles Pacific Railroad to the Pacific Electric |
1,588 mm (5 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1997 | United States Louisiana | The Riverfront Streetcar Line of the New Orleans streetcar system was converted to conform with the rest of the historic streetcar system. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) | Central Asia | While China and Europe are connected by rail, and while both are mainly 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), the intervening Central Asia Railways are 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) gauge. There are discussions about facilitating an eventual linkage of the Chinese and European standard gauge system. |
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm. The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge, international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the most widely used track gauge around the world, with about 55% of the lines in the world using it.
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge broader than the 1,435 mm used by standard-gauge railways.
Renfe Cercanías AM, formerly known as Renfe Feve, is a division of state-owned Spanish railway company Renfe Operadora. It operates most of Spain's 1,250 km (777 mi) of metre-gauge railway. This division of Renfe was previously a stand-alone company named FEVE. On 31 December 2012, the Spanish government simplified the organization of state-owned railway companies by merging FEVE into Renfe and Adif. The rolling stock and the brand FEVE were transferred to Renfe, while the infrastructure was transferred to Adif.
Rail transport in Spain operates on four rail gauges and services are operated by a variety of private and public operators. The total route length in 2012 was 16,026 km.
In rail transport, track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges exist worldwide, gauge differences often present a barrier to wider operation on railway networks.
In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to carry railway vehicles with wheels matched to two different gauges. Such track is described as dual gauge – achieved either by addition of a third rail, if it will fit, or by two additional rails. Dual-gauge tracks are more expensive to configure with signals and sidings, and to maintain, than two separate single-gauge tracks. It is therefore usual to build dual-gauge or other multi-gauge tracks only when necessitated by lack of space or when tracks of two different gauges meet in marshalling yards or passenger stations. Dual-gauge tracks are by far the most common configuration, but triple-gauge tracks have been built in some situations.
With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, leading to passengers having to change trains and freight requiring transloading or transshipping; this can add delays, costs, and inconvenience to travel on such a route.
Railways with a track gauge of 3 ft 6 in were first constructed as horse-drawn wagonways. The first intercity passenger railway to use 3 ft 6 in was constructed in Norway by Carl Abraham Pihl. From the mid-nineteenth century, the 3 ft 6 in gauge became widespread in the British Empire. In Africa it became known as the Cape gauge as it was adopted as the standard gauge for the Cape Government Railways in 1873, although it had already been established in Australia and New Zealand before that. It was adopted as a standard in New Zealand, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Queensland in Australia.
Mexico has a freight railway system owned by the national government and operated by various entities under concessions (charters) granted by the national government. The railway system provides freight and passenger service throughout the country, connecting major industrial centers with ports and with rail connections at the United States border. Passenger rail services were limited to a number of tourist trains between 1997, when Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México suspended service, and 2008, when Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana de México inaugurated Mexico's first commuter rail service between Mexico City and the State of Mexico. This is not including the Mexico City Metro, which started service in 1969.
Rail transport in Peru has a varied history. Peruvian rail transport has never formed a true network, primarily comprising separate lines running inland from the coast and built according to freight need rather than passenger need.
Rail gauges in Australia display significant variations, which has presented an extremely difficult problem for rail transport on the Australian continent since the 19th century. As of 2022, there are 11,914 kilometres (7,403 mi) of narrow-gauge railways, 18,007 kilometres (11,189 mi) of standard gauge railways and 2,685 kilometres (1,668 mi) of broad gauge railways. In the 19th century, each of the colonies of Australia adopted their own gauges.
The North East railway line is a railway line in Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Southern Cross railway station on the western edge of the Melbourne central business district to Albury railway station in the border settlement of Albury-Wodonga, serving the cities of Wangaratta and Seymour, and smaller towns in northeastern Victoria.
Rail transport in Central America consists of several isolated railroad lines with freight or passenger service. The most famous one is the Panama Canal Railway, the oldest transcontinental railroad in the world, connecting Panama City with Colón since 1855. Other railroads in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama were built by private and public investors mainly to facilitate the transport of local agricultural produce to export markets and harbors. Their market share and profitability went into decline in the second half of the twentieth century and most lines have been decommissioned by the end of the 1990s. As of 2018, railroads operate locally in Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama only; all rail transport has been suspended in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. The railways still operating do not cross national borders.
Bogie exchange is a system for operating railway wagons on two or more gauges to overcome difference in the track gauge. To perform a bogie exchange, a car is converted from one gauge to another by removing the bogies or trucks, and installing a new bogie with differently spaced wheels. It is generally limited to wagons and carriages, though the bogies on diesel locomotives can be exchanged if enough time is available.
Ferrocarril de Langreo or FC de Langreo (FCL) was a Spanish railway company which operated a 1,435 mmstandard gauge line, in the Autonomous Community of Asturias, in northern Spain. It was the third train line constructed in Spain and was built during the 1850s.
One Rail Australia was an Australian rail freight operator company. Founded by a United States short line railroad holding company, Genesee & Wyoming Inc, in 1997 as Australian Southern Railroad, and successively renamed Australian Railroad Group and Genesee & Wyoming Australia, it was renamed One Rail Australia in February 2020 after the American company sold its remaining shareholding. In July 2022, assets from the South Australian, Northern Territory and interstate operations of the company were sold to rail operator company Aurizon Holdings Limited. The remaining assets, relating to coal haulage in New South Wales and Queensland, were sold in February 2023 to Magnetic Rail Group.
Rail transport in the Dominican Republic is provided by one state-owned operator and several private ones, mainly for sugar mills. There are no connections with the neighbouring Haiti.
In Spain there is an extensive 1,250 km (780 mi) system of 1,000 mmmetre gauge railways. The majority of these railways was historically operated by FEVE,. Created in 1965 FEVE started absorbing numerous private-owned narrow-gauge railways. From 1978 onwards, with the introduction of regionalisation devolution under the new Spanish constitution, FEVE began transferring responsibility for a number of its operations to the new regional governments. On 31 December 2012 the company disappeared due to the merger of the narrow-gauge network FEVE and the broad-gauge network RENFE.
Two foot and 600 mm gauge railways are narrow gauge railways with track gauges of 2 ft and 600 mm, respectively. Railways with similar, less common track gauges, such as 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in and 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in, are grouped with 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways.
Traditionally, the gauge of the national railway in Spain, now managed by Adif, is 1,668 mm, known as Iberian gauge. This gauge was decided upon by a Parliamentary committee, after a report known as the Informe Subercase in 1844. Spain has 11,791 km of track with this gauge.