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Astandard-gauge railway is arailway with atrack gauge of1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). The standard gauge is also calledStephenson gauge (afterGeorge Stephenson),international gauge,UIC gauge,uniform gauge,normal gauge in Europe,[1][2][3][4][5] andSGR 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.
Allhigh-speed rail lines use standard gauge exceptthose in Russia,Finland,Uzbekistan, and some line sections inSpain.[6] The distance between the inside edges of the heads of the rails is defined to be 1,435 mm except in the United States, Canada, and on some heritage British lines, where it is defined inU.S. customary/British Imperial units as exactly "four feet eight and one half inches",[7] which is equivalent to 1,435.1 mm.
Asrailways developed and expanded, one of the key issues was thetrack gauge (the distance, or width, between the inner sides of the rail heads) to be used, as the wheels of therolling stock (locomotives, cars, etc.) must match this distance. Different railways used different gauges, and where track of different gauges met – a "gauge break" – loads had to be unloaded from one set of rail cars and reloaded onto another, a time-consuming and expensive process. The result was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a "standard gauge" of1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), allowing interconnectivity and interoperability.
A popular legend that has circulated since at least 1937[8] traces the origin of the1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge even further back than the coalfields of northern England, pointing to the evidence of rutted roads marked bychariot wheels dating from theRoman Empire.[a][9]Snopes categorised this legend as "false", but commented that it "is perhaps more fairly labeled as 'Partly true, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons.'"[10] The historical tendency to place the wheels of horse-drawn vehicles around5 ft (1,524 mm) apart probably derives from the width needed to fit acarthorse in between the shafts.[10] Research, however, has been undertaken to support the hypothesis that "the origin of the standard gauge of the railway might result from an interval of wheel ruts of prehistoric ancient carriages".[11]
In addition, while road-travelling vehicles are typically measured from the outermost portions of the wheel rims, it became apparent that for vehicles travelling on rails, having mainwheel flanges that fitinside the rails is better, thus the minimum distance between the wheels (and, by extension, the inside faces of therail heads) was the important one.
A standard gauge for horse railways never existed, but rough groupings were used; in the north of England none was less than4 ft (1,219 mm).[12]Wylam colliery's system, built before 1763, was5 ft (1,524 mm), as wasJohn Blenkinsop'sMiddleton Railway; the old4 ft (1,219 mm) plateway was relaid to5 ft (1,524 mm) so that Blenkinsop's engine could be used.[12] Others were4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) (inBeamish) or4 ft 7+1⁄2 in (1,410 mm) (inBigges Main (inWallsend),Kenton, andCoxlodge).[12][13]
Very early tramways used pairs of stone blocks which meant that the feet of horses didn't trip over obstacles in the middle of the track. However timber sleepers,which could cause the feet of horses to trip, held the gauge better.
English railway pioneerGeorge Stephenson spent much of his early engineering career working for the coal mines ofCounty Durham. He favoured4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) for wagonways inNorthumberland andDurham, and used it on hisKillingworth line.[12] TheHetton andSpringwell wagonways also used this gauge.
Stephenson'sStockton and Darlington railway (S&DR) was built primarily to transport coal from mines nearShildon to the port atStockton-on-Tees. Opening in 1825, the initial gauge of4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawnchaldron wagons[14] that were already in use on thewagonways in the mines. The railway used this gauge for 15 years before achange was made, debuting around 1850, to the1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge.[12][15][page needed] The historicMount Washington Cog Railway, the world's firstmountain-climbingrack railway, is still in operation in the 21st century, and has used the earlier4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge since its inauguration in 1868.
George Stephenson introduced the1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge (including a belated extra1⁄2 in (13 mm) of free movement to reduce binding on curves[16]) for theLiverpool and Manchester Railway, authorised in 1826 and opened 30 September 1830. The extra half inch was not regarded at first as very significant, and some early trains ran on both gauges daily without compromising safety.[17]
The success of this project led to Stephenson and his sonRobert being employed to engineer several other larger railway projects. Thus the4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge became widespread and dominant in Britain. Robert was reported to have said that if he had had a second chance to choose a gauge, he would have chosen one wider than4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm).[18][19] "I would take a few inches more, but a very few".[20]
During the "gauge war" with theGreat Western Railway, standard gauge was called "narrow gauge", in contrast to the Great Western's7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm)broad gauge. The modern use of the term "narrow gauge" for gauges less than standard did not arise for many years, until the first such locomotive-hauled passenger railway, theFfestiniog Railway, was built.[citation needed]
Ireland built its first railway with standard 1435mm gauge, but switched to1600mm gauge after a decree from theBoard of Trade.
An early example of 1435mm gauge was atWillington Colliery, a 3-mile line running to the River Tyne.[21]
In 1845, in theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, aRoyal Commission on Railway Gauges reported in favour of a standard gauge. The subsequentGauge Act ruled that new passenger-carrying railways in Great Britain should be built to a standard gauge of4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm), and those in Ireland to a new standard gauge of5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm). In Great Britain, Stephenson's gauge was chosen on the grounds that existing lines of this gauge were eight times longer than those of the rival7 ft or2,134 mm (later7 ft 1⁄4 in or2,140 mm) gauge adopted principally by the Great Western Railway. It allowed the broad-gauge companies in Great Britain to continue with their tracks and expand their networks within the "Limits of Deviation" and the exceptions defined in the Act.
After an intervening period ofmixed-gauge operation (tracks were laid with three rails), the Great Western Railway finally completed theconversion of its network to standard gauge in 1892. In North East England, some early lines in colliery (coal mining) areas were4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm), while inScotland some early lines were4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm). The British gauges converged starting from 1846 as the advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. By the 1890s, the entire network wasconverted to standard gauge.
TheRoyal Commission made no comment about small lines narrower than standard gauge (to be called "narrow gauge"), such as theFfestiniog Railway. Thus it permitted a future multiplicity of narrow gauges in the UK. It also made no comments about future gauges in British colonies, which allowed various gauges to be adopted across the colonies.
Parts of the United States, mainly in the Northeast, adopted the same gauge, because some early trains were purchased from Britain. The American gauges converged, as the advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. Notably, all the5 ft (1,524 mm)broad gauge track in theSouth was converted to "almost standard" gauge4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm) over the course of two days beginning on 31 May 1886.[22]SeeTrack gauge in the United States.
In continental Europe, France and Belgium adopted a1,500 mm (4 ft 11+1⁄16 in) gauge (measured between the midpoints of eachrail's profile) for their early railways.[23] The gauge between the interior edges of the rails (the measurement adopted from 1844) differed slightly between countries, and even between networks within a country (for example,1,440 mm or4 ft 8+11⁄16 in to1,445 mm or4 ft 8+7⁄8 in in France). The first tracks in Austria and in the Netherlands had other gauges (1,000 mm or3 ft 3+3⁄8 in in Austria for the Donau Moldau line and1,945 mm or6 ft 4+9⁄16 in in the Netherlands for theHollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij), but for interoperability reasons (the first rail service between Paris and Berlin began in 1849, first Chaix timetable) Germany adopted standard gauges, as did most other European countries.
The modern method of measuring rail gauge was agreed in the first Berne rail convention of 1886.[24]
| Name | Authorised | Opened | Gauge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway | 1824 | 1825 | 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) |
| Dundee and Newtyle Railway | 1829 | 1831 | 4 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1,384 mm) |
| Eastern Counties Railway | 1836, 4 July | 1839, 20 June | 5 ft (1,524 mm)[25] |
| London and Blackwall Railway | 1838, 28 July | 1840 | 5 ft 1⁄2 in (1,537 mm)[26][27][28] |
| Dundee and Arbroath Railway | 1836, 19 May incorporated | 1838, October | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Untilstandardised in 1847 |
| Arbroath and Forfar Railway | 1836, 19 May incorporated | 1838, November | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) |
| Northern and Eastern Railway | 1836, 4 July | 1840, 15 September | 5 ft (1,524 mm)[29] |
| Aberdeen Railway | 1845 | 1848 | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Untilstandardised |
| Great Western Railway | 1835 | 1838 | 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Untilstandardised |
| Ulster Railway | 1836 | 1839 | 6 ft 2 in (1,880 mm) Until5ft 3in |
| Name | Authorised | Opened | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | 1827 | 1830 | A 13 mile section, betweenBaltimore andElliot's Mill started revenue operation, with horse-drawn cars, on 24 May 1830.[31] |
| Liverpool and Manchester Railway | 1824 | 1830 | |
| Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway | 1826 | 1833 | All the early French railways (including Saint-Etienne Andrezieux, authorised 1823, opened 1827) had a French Gauge of1,500 mm (4 ft 11+1⁄16 in) from rail axis to rail axis, compatible with early standard gaugetolerances) |
| Dublin and Kingstown Railway | 1831 | 1834For passenger traffic | converted to 5 ft 3in in 1857 |
| Newcastle & Carlisle Railway | 1829 | 1834 | Isolated from LMR |
| Grand Junction Railway | 1833 | 1837 | Connected to LMR |
| London and Birmingham Railway | 1833 | 1838 | Connected to LMR |
| Manchester and Birmingham Railway | 1837 | 1840 | Connected to LMR |
| Birmingham and Gloucester Railway | 1836 | 1840 | Connected to LMR |
| London and Southampton Railway | 1834 | 1840 | |
| London and Brighton Railway | 1837 | 1841 | |
| South Eastern Railway | 1836 | 1844 | |
| Australia (NSW, VIC, SA) | 1848 | 1854 | Original recommendation from London |
Several lines were initially built as standard gauge but were later converted to another gauge for cost or for compatibility reasons.[citation needed]
| Country/territory | Railway | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | National rail network | 677 km (421 mi)[36][37] |
| Algeria | 3,973 km (2,469 mi)[38] | |
| Angola | 80 km (50 mi) | |
| Argentina |
| Other major lines are mostly1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)broad gauge, with the exception of the1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gaugeGeneral Belgrano Railway. Further information:Rail transport in Argentina |
| Australia |
| Further information:Rail gauge in Australia 2,295 km (1,426 mi) Victoria built the first railways to the5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Irish broad gauge.New South Wales then built to the standard gauge, so trains had to stop on the border and passengers transferred, which was only rectified in the 1960s. Queensland still runs on a narrow gauge but there is a standard gauge line fromNSW to Brisbane. |
| Austria | Österreichische Bundesbahnen | 4,859 km (3,019 mi) TheSemmering railway hasUNESCO World Heritage Site status. |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka Metro Rail | 20.1 km (12.5 mi) |
| Belgium | NMBS/SNCB,Brussels Metro andtramway | NMBS/SNCB 3,619 km (2,249 mi)[39] Brussels Metro 40 km (25 mi) Trams in Brussels 140 km (87 mi) |
| Bolivia | Mi Tren | 42 km (26.1 mi) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Further information:Rail transport in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,032 km (641 mi) | |
| Brazil |
| 205.5 km (127.7 mi) |
| Bulgaria |
| |
| Canada | National rail network (including commuter rail operators likeGO Transit,West Coast Express,Exo andUnion Pearson Express). | 49,422 km (30,709 mi) TheToronto Transit Commission uses4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) gauge on its streetcar and subway lines. |
| China | National rail network | 103,144 km (64,091 mi) |
| Chile | Santiago Metro | 140.8 km (87 mi) |
| Croatia | Hrvatske željeznice | Further information:Transport in Croatia |
| Colombia | Metro de Medellín,Tren del Cerrejón,Metro de Bogotá | |
| Cuba | Ferrocarriles de Cuba | 4,266 km (2,651 mi) |
| Czech Republic |
| 9,478 km (5,889 mi) |
| Denmark | Banedanmark andCopenhagen Metro | |
| Djibouti | Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway | 100 km (62 mi) |
| Egypt | Egyptian National Railways | |
| Estonia | Rail Baltica | Standard-gauge Rail Baltica railway is under construction and is scheduled to be completed by 2030. Cost studies have been undertaken for a potential overhaul of entire rail network to standard gauge.[43] |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway;Addis Ababa Light Rail | 659 km (409 mi)Other standard gauge lines under construction. |
| Finland |
| |
| France | SNCF,RATP (on RER lines) | |
| Gabon | Trans-Gabon Railway | 669 km (416 mi) |
| Germany | Deutsche Bahn, numerous local public transport providers | 43,468 km (27,010 mi) |
| Georgia | Georgian Railway1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge constructed betweenAkhalkalaki toKarstakhi forBaku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway | 26.142 km (16.244 mi) |
| Ghana | Tema-Mpakadan Railway Line Takoradi to Sekondi Route, is currently operated by theGhana Railway Company Limited.Kojokrom-Sekondi Railway Line(The Kojokrom-Sekondi line is abranch line that joins theWestern Railway Line atKojokrom) | New and extended SGR are being built, with some dual gauge. |
| Greece | Hellenic Railways Organisation (operated byTrainOSE) | All modern Greek networks, except in the Peloponnese |
| Holy See | 1 km (0.62 mi) | |
| Hong Kong | MTR (formerKCR network –East Rail line,Tuen Ma line,Light Rail) | Other MTR lines use 1,432 mm (4 ft8+3⁄8 in) instead of 4 ft8+1⁄2 in[44][45][46] |
| Hungary |
| |
| India | Only used for rapid transit and tram,Bangalore Metro,Chennai Metro,Delhi Metro (Phase 2 onwards),Rapid Metro Gurgaon,Hyderabad Metro,Jaipur Metro,Kochi Metro,Kolkata Metro (Green Line),Lucknow Metro,Mumbai Metro,Nagpur Metro,Navi Mumbai Metro,Pune Metro andTrams in Kolkata. The under-constructionMumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor based on theShinkansen also uses standard gauge. All under-construction and future rapid transit systems would be in standard gauge.Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System | 128,305 km (79,725 mi) Indian nationwide rail system (Indian Railways) uses1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge. 96% of the broad gauge network is electrified. |
| Indonesia | Aceh rail,Bali MRT (under construction),Jakarta LRT,Jabodebek LRT,Trans-Sulawesi Railway (Makassar-Parepare section),Jakarta MRT West-east line (planned), andJakarta-Bandung high speed networks | The very first railway line in Indonesia which connectsSemarang to Tanggung, which later extended toYogyakarta was laid to standard gauge.[47] Opened in 1867, it was mostly regauged to 1,067mm/3ft6in duringJapanese occupation in 1943, while a short line in Semarang Harbor soldiered on until 1945.[48] Standard gauge railway lines made a return in 2014 on experimental railway line in Aceh. The railway tracks of Java and Sumatra use1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in). |
| Iran | Islamic Republic of Iran Railways | 12,998 km (8,077 mi) |
| Iraq | Iraqi Republic Railways | 485 km (301 mi) |
| Ireland | Transport Infrastructure Ireland | Luas inDublin |
| Israel | ||
| Italy | Ferrovie dello Stato | 16,723 km (10,391 mi) |
| Japan | Shinkansen,JR HokkaidoNaebo Works (seeTrain on Train),Sendai Subway (Tozai Line),Tokyo Metro (Ginza andMarunouchi lines),Toei Subway (Asakusa andOedo lines),Yokohama Municipal Subway (Blue andGreen lines),Nagoya Municipal Subway (Higashiyama,Meijō, andMeikō lines),Kyoto Municipal Subway,Osaka Metro,Kobe Municipal Subway,Fukuoka City Subway (Nanakuma Line),Keisei Electric Railway (includingHokusō andShin-Keisei lines),Keikyu Line,Kintetsu Railway (Osaka,Nara,Nagoya,Yamada,Kyoto, andKeihanna lines and their associated branches),Keihan Railway,Hankyu Railway,Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway,Nose Electric Railway,Hanshin Railway,Sanyo Electric Railway,Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad (Kotoden),Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Tenjin Ōmuta,Dazaifu andAmagi lines) | 4,251 km (2,641 mi), all electrified |
| Kenya | Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway | 485 km (301 mi) Inaugurated 31 May 2017. An extension fromNairobi toNaivasha is under construction. A further extension east to theUgandan border is planned. |
| Kosovo | Trainkos | 437 km (272 mi)[49] |
| Laos | Boten–Vientiane railway | 414 km (257 mi), Formally opened on 3 December 2021. |
| Latvia | Rail Baltica | Standard-gauge Rail Baltica railway is under construction and is scheduled to be completed by 2030. |
| Lebanon | All lines out of service and essentially dismantled | |
| Libya | Network under construction | |
| Lithuania | Rail Baltica | First phase, fromKaunas to the Polish border, completed in 2015. The second phase, from Kaunas north to Tallinn and from Kaunas to Vilnius, is in the design and construction phase and scheduled to be completed by 2030. |
| Luxembourg | Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois | |
| Malaysia | 998 km (620 mi) | |
| Mexico[50] | Further information:List of Mexican railroads | 24,740 km (15,370 mi) |
| Monaco | ||
| Montenegro | Željeznice Crne Gore | 3 |
| Morocco | Rail transport in Morocco | 2,067 km (1,284 mi) |
| Nepal | Nepal Railways (all tracks except cross-border tracks with India are standard gauge) | Under-construction |
| Netherlands | Nederlandse Spoorwegen and regional railways. | |
| Nigeria | Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway;Lagos Rail Mass Transit | Under construction; Abuja to Kaduna section operational. |
| North Korea | Railways of the DPRK. | |
| North Macedonia | Macedonian Railways | |
| Norway | Norwegian National Rail Administration,Rail transport in Norway | 4,087 km (2,540 mi) |
| Pakistan | To be used only for the rapid transit system,Lahore Metro[51] | Pakistan's nationwide rail system (Pakistan Railways) uses1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge. Any future additions to this system would also be in broad gauge. |
| Panama | Panama Railway;Panama Metro | Regauged from5 ft (1,524 mm) in 2001 |
| Paraguay | Ferrocarril Presidente Don Carlos Antonio López, nowFerrocarril de Paraguay S.A. (FEPASA) | 36 km out of Asunción (used as a tourist steam line), plus 5 km from Encarnación to the border with Argentina, carrying mainly exported soy; the rest of the 441-km line awaits its fate, while redevelopment plans come and go with regularity. The section from west of Encarnación to north of San Salvador, plus the entire San Salvador–Abaí branch, have been dismantled by the railway itself and sold for scrap to raise funds. |
| Peru | Railway Development Corporation,[52] Ferrocarril Central Andino (Callao–Lima–La Oroya–Huancayo and La Oroya–Cerro del Pasco lines),Ferrocarril del sur de Peru (operated by Peru Rail) Matarani–Arequipa–Puno and Puno–Cuzco, Ilo–Moquegua mining railway, Tacna–Arica (Chile) international line, (operated by Tacna Province), Lima electric suburban railway | 1,603 km (996 mi) |
| Philippines | Operational:LRT 1,LRT 2, andMRT 3. Under construction:MRT 7,MRT 4,LRT 1 South/Cavite Extension,MMS,PNR SLH,PNR NSCR, andMindanao Railway Phase 1. All current as of March 2022. | 54.15 km (33.65 mi) operational, 899.6 km (559.0 mi) under construction, all electrified as of March 2022. |
| Philippine National Railways network, future LRT and MRT Lines (proposed) | c. 4,600 km (2,900 mi), 1,159 km (720 mi) will be electrified.[53][b] | |
| Poland | Polskie Koleje Państwowe,Warsaw Metro, mosttramway systems throughout the country | |
| Portugal | Braga andPorto (Guindais)funiculars,Lisbon Metro,Porto Metro (partly adapted from former1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge; tracks),Metro Transportes do Sullight rail inAlmada. | All other railways use1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) (broad gauge); some use1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge;Decauville uses500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) gauge. Planned and under construction high-speed railways to use1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) to maintain interoperability with the rest of the network. |
| Romania | ||
| Russia | Rostov-on-Don tramway, lines connectingKaliningrad with Poland | |
| Rwanda | Isaka–Kigali Standard Gauge Railway | 150 km (93 mi) New railway betweenKigali and theTanzanian town ofIsaka is planned. |
| Saudi Arabia | Rail transport in Saudi Arabia | |
| Senegal |
| |
| Serbia | Serbian Railways | |
| Singapore | Mass Rapid Transit | 203 km (126 mi) |
| Slovakia | Železnice Slovenskej republiky,Košice tramway system | |
| Slovenia | Slovenske železnice | |
| South Africa | Gautrain inGauteng Province. Rest of country uses1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 80 km (50 mi) |
| South Korea | KRNA | |
| Spain | AVEhigh-speed rail lines from Madrid to Seville, Málaga, Alicante, Saragossa, Barcelona (-Perthus), Orense, Toledo, Huesca, León and Valladolid,Barcelona Metro (L2,L3,L4, andL5 lines), Barcelona FGC (linesL6 andL7), and Metro Vallès (linesS1,S2,S5, andS55) All other railways use1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) (broad gauge) and/or1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge. | 3,622 km (2,251 mi) |
| Sweden | Swedish Transport Administration,Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (Stockholm metro, commuter andlight rail lines), tram networks inGothenburg,Lund andNorrköping | |
| Switzerland | Swiss Federal Railways, BLS,Rigi Railways (rack railway) | SFR 3,134 km in standard gauge and 98 km metre gauge[62] 449 km[clarification needed] |
| Syria | Chemins de Fer Syriens | 2,052 km (1,275 mi) |
| Taiwan | 604.64 km (376 mi) | |
| Tanzania | Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway | 300 km (186 mi) line from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro has been completed in April 2022 currently in live testing phase.[63] Contract awarded in 2019 for a 422 km (262 mi) extension from Morogoro to Makutupora. |
| Thailand |
| 80 km (50 mi) |
| Tunisia | Northern part of the network | 471 km (293 mi) |
| Turkey | Turkish State Railways (also operatesMarmaray), metro networks, and tram networks | Some tram networks use1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge. Further information:Rail transport in Turkey |
| Uganda | Uganda Standard Gauge Railway | Railway line fromKampala to the Kenyan border is planned. |
| United Arab Emirates | Rail transport in the United Arab Emirates | |
| United Kingdom (Great Britain) | Entirerail network in Great Britain (but not Ireland) since standardisation by theRegulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846 | Also used on all metro and tramway systems with the exception of the self-containedGlasgow Subway, which is4 ft (1,219 mm). |
| United States |
| 129,774 km (80,638 mi) |
| Uruguay | National rail network | 2,900 km (1,800 mi) |
| Vietnam | 178 km (111 mi). Includes dual gauge (standard/metre) to the Chinese border. |
Several states in the United States had laws requiring road vehicles to have a consistentgauge to allow them to follow ruts in the road. Those gauges were similar to railway standard gauge.[65]
I [John Dixon] can testify to the fact of there being half an inch difference in the gauge of theGreat North of England Railway and the Stockton and Darlington Railway, and that engines and carriages reciprocally travel on each line daily without danger or a suspicion thereof from that cause: indeed, the fact of this difference is not generally known.
