Standard gauge

For standard loading gauges, see Standard loading gauge. For standard gauge in toy trains, see Standard Gauge (toy trains).

The standard gauge (also Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, International gauge or normal gauge) is a widely used railway track gauge. Approximately 60% of lines in the world are this gauge (see the list of countries that use the standard gauge). Except for Russia, Uzbekistan, and Finland, all high-speed lines are this gauge.

The distance between the inside edges of the rails is defined to be . In the United States and Canada, it is still defined in imperial units, . It is also called UIC gauge, or UIC track gauge, the European gauge in the EU and Russia, or uniform gauge in Queensland.

History

As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues was track gauge (the distance, or width, between the inner sides of the rails) to be used. The result was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a “standard gauge” of 4 ft ​8 ¹⁄₂ in allowing inter-connectivity and inter-operability.

In England some early lines in colliery (coal mining) areas in the northeast were 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, 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 as the advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent; notably, the South's 5 ft (1,524 mm) broad gauge was converted to be compatible with standard gauge over the course of two days beginning 31 May 1886. See Track gauge in the United States.

With the advent of metrication, standard gauge was redefined as 1,435 mm, a reduction of 0.1 mm, but well within existing tolerance limits. The exception is the United States, where standard gauge continues to be defined in terms of customary units.

Origins

A popular legend that has been around since at least 1937 traces the origin of the 4 ft ​8 ¹⁄₂ in 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 labelled as 'True, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons.'" 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. 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). 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. Others were 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) Beamish or 4 ft ​7 ¹⁄₂ in (Bigges Main and Kenton and Coxlodge).

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. The Hetton and Springwell wagonways also used this gauge.

Stephenson's Stockton and Darlington railway (S&DR) was built primarily to transport coal from mines near Shildon to the port at Stockton-on-Tees. The initial gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawn chaldron wagons that were already in use on the wagonways in the mines. The railway used this gauge for 15 years before a change was made to 4 ft ​8 ¹⁄₂ in gauge. The historic Mount Washington Cog Railway, the world's first mountain-climbing rack railway, is still in operation in the 21st century, and has used the earlier 4 ft 8 in gauge since its inauguration in 1868.

The beginnings of the 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in gauge

George Stephenson used the 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in gauge (including a belated extra of free movement to reduce binding on curves) 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.

Non-standard gauge

• Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, authorised 1824, opened 1825, used 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm).
• Dundee and Newtyle Railway, authorised 1829, opened 1831, used 4 ft 6 ¹⁄₂ in (1,384 mm).
• the Eastern Counties Railway, authorised on 4 July 1836, used 5 ft (1,524 mm)
• the London and Blackwall Railway, authorised on 28 July 1836, used 5 ft ¹⁄₂ in (1,537 mm);
• the Dundee and Arbroath Railway, incorporated on 19 May 1836, opened October 1838, used 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) until standardised in 1847.
• the Arbroath and Forfar Railway, incorporated on 19 May 1836, opened November 1838, used 5 ft 6 in.
• the Northern and Eastern Railway, authorised on 4 July 1836, used 5 ft (1,524 mm) gauge.
• Aberdeen Railway, opened 1848, used 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) until standardised.

Almost standard gauge

• the Killingworth Colliery tramway; 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm)
• the Hetton colliery railway; opened 1822; engineered by George Stephenson 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm)
• the Stockton and Darlington Railway; opened 1825; original gauge 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm)
• the Chester and Birkenhead Railway, authorised on 12 July 1837, used 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm);
• the London and Brighton Railway, authorised on 15 July 1837, used 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm);
• the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, authorised on 30 June 1837, used 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm);
• the Manchester and Leeds Railway, authorised on 4 July 1836, used 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm) and
  • 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 Trams in Dresden, authorized in 1872 as horsecars, used 1,440 mm (4 ft 8 ¹¹⁄₁₆ in) gauge vehicles. Converted to 600V DC electric trams in 1893, uses 1,450 mm (4 ft 9 ³⁄₃₂ in); both gagues are within the tolerance for standard gauge

Standard gauge

• the Bolton and Leigh Railway, authorised 1825, opened 1828; connected to LMR.
• the Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway, commenced 1826, opened 1833.
• the Grand Junction Railway, authorised 1833, opened 1837; connected to LMR.
• the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway, authorised 1829, opened 1834; isolated from LMR, engineered by Robert Stephenson
• the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, authorised 1837, opened 1840; connected to LMR.
• the London and Birmingham Railway, authorised 1833, opened 1838, connected to LMR.
• the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, authorised 1836, open 1840, connected to LMR.

During the "gauge war" with the Great Western Railway, standard gauge was called "narrow gauge". The modern use of narrow gauge for gauges less than standard did not arise for 20 years, until the first such locomotive-hauled passenger railway, the Festiniog.

Dual gauge

• Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway—authorised 1836; opened 1840; dual gauge 1843 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) and 7 ft ¹⁄₄ in (2,140 mm).

The Royal Commission

In 1845, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, a Royal Commission on Railway Gauges reported in favour of a standard gauge. In Great Britain, Stephenson's gauge was chosen on the grounds that lines of this gauge were eight times longer than those of the rival 7 ft (2,134 mm)7 ft ​¹⁄₄ in 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 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in), and those in Ireland to a new standard gauge of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm). It allowed the broad-gauge companies in Great Britain to continue with 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 rails), the Great Western Railway finally converted its entire network to standard gauge in 1892.

The Royal Commission made no comment about small to-be-called "narrow"-gauge lines, such as the Festiniog Railway, which allowed a future multiplicity of small gauges in the UK; it also made no comments about future gauges in British colonies.

Regrets

Robert Stephenson was reported to have said that if he had a second chance to choose a standard gauge, he would choose one wider than 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in). "I would take a few inches more, but a very few".

Modern almost-standard gauge railways

• The Mount Washington Cog Railway, the world's oldest cog railway (1868) and still in operation, uses a slightly-narrower 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge.
• The MTR in Hong Kong uses 1,432 mm (4 ft 8 ³⁄₈ in) except on the East Rail, West Rail, Ma On Shan lines, and Light Rail
• The Toronto streetcar system uses 4 ft 10 ⁷⁄₈ in (1,495 mm) Toronto gauge
• The Washington Metro uses 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₄ in (1,429 mm)

Road vehicles

Several states in the United States had laws requiring road vehicles to have a consistent gauge to allow them to follow ruts in the road. These gauges were similar to railway standard gauge.

Legislation

• United Kingdom: Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846

Installations

Country/territory	Railway	Notes
Albania	National rail network	339 km (211 mi)
Algeria	National rail network Algiers Metro, Algiers tramway, Constantine tramway, Oran tramway, Oran Metro	3,973 km (2,469 mi)
Argentina	General Urquiza Railway (except Ferrocarril Económico Correntino in 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in)) Buenos Aires Underground Metrotranvía Mendoza Tren de la Costa	Other major lines are mostly 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge (Indian gauge), apart from the metre gauge General Belgrano Railway Further information: Rail transport in Argentina
Australia	Pacific National, Pilbara Railways Further information: List of Australian railway companies	Of the Australian states only NSW adopted standard gauge. However, all mainland state and territory capitals are now linked by a standard gauge network. Further information: Rail gauge in Australia
Austria	Österreichische Bundesbahnen	The Semmering railway has UNESCO World Heritage Site status
Bangladesh	Only used for rapid transit systems: Dhaka Metro
Belgium	NMBS/SNCB, Brussels Metro and tramway
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Željeznice Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine and Željeznice Republike Srpske, Sarajevo tramways	Further information: Rail transport in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil	Estrada de Ferro do Amapá; from Uruguaiana to the border of Argentina and from Santana do Livramento to the border of Uruguay (both mixed gauge 1,435 mm and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) ); Remaining tracks at Jaguarão (Rio Grande do Sul) currently inoperable	194 km (121 mi)
Bulgaria	National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC), Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), Sofia Underground, Part of Sofia Tramway system
Canada	National rail network	49,422 km (30,709 mi)
China	National rail network	103,144 km (64,091 mi)
Croatia	Hrvatske Željeznice	Further information: Transport in Croatia
Colombia	Metro de Medellín, Tren del Cerrejón, Metro de Bogotá	Further information: Metro de Medellín
Cuba	Ferrocarriles de Cuba
Czech Republic	České dráhy Prague metro all tram systems in the country (Liberec has dual gauge 1,000/1,435 mm, with one meter-gauge interurban line to Jablonec nad Nisou) Funicular in Prague
Denmark	Banedanmark and Copenhagen Metro
Egypt	Egyptian National Railways
France	SNCF, RATP (on RER lines)
Germany	Deutsche Bahn, numerous local public transport providers
Greece	Hellenic Railways Organisation (operated by TrainOSE)	All modern Greek network, except in the Peloponnese
Hong Kong	MTR (former KCR network—East Rail Line, West Rail Line, Ma On Shan Line, Light Rail)	Other MTR lines use 1,432 mm (4 ft ​8 3⁄8 in), instead of 4 ft ​8 1⁄2 in
Hungary	MÁV, GySEV Budapest metro, HÉV (Suburban railway) Tram systems in Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged Budapest cogwheel railway
India	Only used for rapid transit systems: Bangalore Metro, Chennai Metro, Delhi Metro (Phase 2 onwards), Gurgaon Metro, Hyderabad Metro Rail, Jaipur Metro, Kochi Metro, Kolkata Metro (Line 2 onwards), Trams in Kolkata, Lucknow Metro, Mumbai Metro, Navi Mumbai Metro	Indian heavy rail systems (Indian Railways) use 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Indian broad gauge. The majority of under construction and future Metro Rail systems prefer Standard Gauge.
Indonesia	Built in Aceh Province
Iran	Islamic Republic of Iran Railways
Iraq	Iraqi Republic Railways
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, Toei Oedo 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.	All other subway lines in Japan, except for the Toei Shinjuku Line (1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in) scotch gauge) and the Sapporo Subway (which is a rubber-tired system), use 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) cape gauge.
Kenya	network under construction
Lebanon		All lines out of service and more or less dismantled
Libya	network under construction
Luxembourg	Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois
Macedonia	Macedonian Railways
Malaysia	RapidKL (Kelana Jaya Line, Ampang Line), KLIA Ekspres
Mexico	Further information: List of Mexican railroads
Monaco
Montenegro	Željeznice Crne Gore	3
Morocco	Rail transport in Morocco
Netherlands	Nederlandse Spoorwegen and regional railways.
North Korea	Railways of the DPRK.
Norway	Norwegian National Rail Administration, Rail transport in Norway
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 of Argentina, 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 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 LRT Line 1, Manila LRT Line 2 and Manila MRT Line 3.
Poland	Polskie Koleje Państwowe, Warsaw Metro, most tramway systems throughout the country
Portugal	Planned high-speed lines; Braga and Oporto (Guindais) funiculars; Lisbon Metro; Oporto Metro (partly adapted from former 1,000 mm tracks); Metro Transportes do Sul light rail in Almada.	All other 1,668 mm (5 ft ​5 2⁄3 in) (broad gauge), some 1,000 mm (3 ft ​3 3⁄8 in) (meter gauge), at least one 500 mm (Decauville).
Romania	Căile Ferate Române
Russia	Rostov-on-Don tramway, lines connecting Kaliningrad with Poland
Saudi Arabia	Rail transport in Saudi Arabia
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
South Korea	KRNA
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 Transport Administration, Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (Stockholm metro, commuter and light rail lines), tram networks in Gothenburg and Norrköping
Switzerland	Swiss Federal Railways, BLS, Rigi Railways (rack railway)
Syria	Chemins de Fer Syriens
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	Turkish State Railways (also operates Marmaray), metro networks, and tram networks	Some tram networks use metre gauge. Further information: Rail transport in Turkey
United Arab Emirates	Rail transport in the United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom (Great Britain)	Entire rail network in Great Britain (but not Ireland) (since standardisation by the Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846)
United States	Modern national railroad network	See: Track gauge in the United States The Washington Metro uses 4 ft 8 1⁄4 in (1,429 mm) gauge, which is 6 mm or ​1⁄4″ closer than standard gauge.
Uruguay	National rail network
Vietnam	North of Hanoi	Includes dual gauge (standard/metre) to the PRC border.

See also

• Standard Gauge (toy trains)

Further reading

External links

• , A discussion of gauge in Australia, c.1892
• A learned text of standardisation of gauge
• Roman gauge origin.