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Metre gauge refers to
narrow gaugeA narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for
local railways in FranceIn France, a is a secondary railway constructed by a local administrative division, serving sparsely-populated rural areas...
, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland and northern Spain do huge metre gauge networks remain in continuous use. Also, many European urban trams run on metre gauge. With the revival of urban rail transport, in some cities metre gauge light metros were established, while in other cities metre gauge was replaced by
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
.
South-east Asia
- Vietnam
The railway system in Vietnam is owned and operated by the state-owned Vietnam Railways . The principal route, the single track North-South Railway running between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, accounts for of the network's total length of...
and joined
- Malaysia
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin...
- Thailand (long haul-train)
The railway network of Thailand is currently managed and operated by the State Railway of Thailand .-History:Interest in rail transport in Thailand can be traced to when King Rama IV was given a gift of a model railway from Queen Victoria...
- Burma
-Early construction:Rail transport was first introduced in Burma in May 1877, when Lower Burma was a colony of the United Kingdom and a part of British India, with the opening of the Rangoon to Prome line by The Irrawaddy Valley State Railway...
. Except for about 100 miles (160.9 km) of hill railway, the 2000 miles (3,218.7 km) of Burmese railways is metre gauge.
South Asia
- Bangladesh - 1830 km (1,137.1 mi) (mostly in the central and eastern regions) and 365 km (226.8 mi) are dual gauge with Indian gauge
Indian gauge is a track gauge commonly used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Chile. It is also the gauge that is used on BART , in northern California.- Scotland :...
.
- India
Rail gauge in India is complicated by historical usage of multiple track gauges. Indian Railways uses four: Broad Gauge , which is also called Indian gauge, Metre Gauge , Narrow Gauge , and Narrow Gauge....
- 9000 km (5,592.4 mi) in 2011. The length was 24158 km (15,011.1 mi) in 1951 rising to about 30000 km (18,641.2 mi) in 1991 and has decreased considerably since then as metre gauge is being converted to Indian gaugeIndian gauge is a track gauge commonly used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Chile. It is also the gauge that is used on BART , in northern California.- Scotland :...
of under Project UnigaugeProject Unigauge is an ongoing exercise by Indian Railways to standardise most of the rail gauges in India at 1676 mm broad gauge....
. The length is planned to decrease more in the next few years.
Americas
- Argentina
The Argentine railway network comprised of track at the end of the Second World War and was, in its time, one of the most extensive and prosperous in South America. However, with the increase in highway construction, there followed a sharp decline in railway profitability, leading to the break-up...
- 11080 km (6,884.8 mi)
- Bolivia
The Bolivian rail network has had a peculiar development throughout its history, owing to losses of land, prestige and credit rating due to the failure of the War of the Pacific, railway development came late to Bolivia. The demand for mineral wealth and communication to the inland city of La Paz,...
- 3600 km (2,236.9 mi)
- Brazil
Rail transport in Brazil began in the 19th century and there were many different railway companies. The railways were nationalised under RFFSA in 1957...
- 23489 km (14,595.4 mi)
- Chile - 2923 km (1,816.3 mi)
Eastern Africa
- Ethio-Djibouti Railways
The Ethio-Djibouti Railways, also Ethio-Djibouti Railway Enterprise, is the successor of the Imperial Railway Company of Ethiopia and jointly owned by the governments of Ethiopia and Djibouti. It was formed after Djibouti gained independence in 1977 and received the French shares of the Imperial...
- 780 km (484.7 mi)
- Kenya
The former Uganda Railway, was run by the company East African Railways jointly for the countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya after World War I. Since the dissolution of the EAR corporation in 1977 the national company Kenya Railways Corporation runs the former Uganda Railway and its branches in...
- Tanzania Railways Corporation
The Tanzania Railways Corporation ' is a state-owned enterprise that runs one of Tanzania's two main railway networks.When the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation was dissolved in 1977 and its assets divided between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, TRC was formed to take over EARH's railway,...
- about 2600 km (1,615.6 mi) (break of gauge to the Tanzania-Zambia RailwayThe TAZARA Railway was built between 1970 and 1975 by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority to give landlocked Zambia a link to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, as an alternative to export routes via rail lines to Rhodesia , South Africa,...
)
- Uganda
Uganda Railways Corporation is the parastatal railway of Uganda. It was formed after the breakup of the East African Railways Corporation in 1977 when it took over the Ugandan part of the East African railways....
Northern Africa
- Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
- Tunisian Railways
The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens , abbreviated SNCFT, is the national railway of Tunisia and under the direction of the Ministry of Transport. SNCFT was founded on December 27, 1956. Headquartered in Tunis the company employs about 6000 people...
- 1674 km (1,040.2 mi) (besides standard gauge 471 km (292.7 mi))
Western Africa
- Benin
This article concerns modes of transport in Benin. Benin is a country in Africa, which possesses railway and road infrastructure, as well as two seaports. Benin currently does not have rail connections to other countries, but new proposals seek to change this....
- Cameroon
- Railways :Railways in Cameroon are operated by Camrail, a subsidiary of French investment group Bolloré. As of 2008, the country had an estimated 987 km of gauge track....
- Dakar–Niger Railway (Senegal
- Railways :total: 906 kmnarrow gauge: 906 km of gauge - Maps :* * - Ground transport :There were an estimated 4,271 km of paved roads and 10,305 km of unpaved roads as of 1996....
– MaliMali's transportation infrastructure is regarded as poor, even by regional standards, and deficiencies have limited economic growth and development. Nevertheless, improvements have been noted in the early 2000s...
) - 1287 km (799.7 mi)
- Abidjan – Burkina Faso railway, see Rail transport in Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire has 660 kilometres of railway . The track gauge is .In October 2010, the government announced plans to build a 737km line which would link the port of San Pedro to mines in the west of the country....
and Rail transport in Burkina FasoThere are 622 kilometres of gauge railway in Burkina Faso, of which 517 km run from Ouagadougou to Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire; and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya.Burkina Faso is landlocked; the railway to Abidjan provides access to the sea....
- Niger
Transport in Niger is crucial to the economy of this vast landlocked nation, with cities separated by huge uninhabited deserts, mountain ranges, and other natural features. A poor nation, Niger's transport system was little developed during the colonial period , relying upon animal transport,...
- Togo
- Railways :total:525 km narrow gauge:525 km of gauge- Standards :* Coupling - Centre buffer and two side chains* Brakes - Vacuum brake - Railway links with adjacent countries :...
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- Trams of Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
and GmundenGmunden is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It has 13,202 inhabitants . It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of goat, lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, etc...
- Few of the local railways, such as Stubaitalbahn and Achenseebahn
The Achensee Railway is a long metre gauge railway running between Jenbach and Seespitz on Lake Achensee in Tyrol . Within its length it rises some in height, with the steeper sections using the Riggenbach rack system...
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- Trams of Antwerp
The Antwerp Tram is a form of public transport in Antwerp, Belgium. As of 2010 the system features 11 routes, four of which pass partially under the ground ....
, Charleroi (Charleroi Pre-metroThe Charleroi Metro is a express tram network in Belgium, consisting of a horseshoe-shaped line around central Charleroi and two branches towards the suburbs of Gilly and Anderlues. It was built between 1976 and 1996 with 26 stations, of which 20 are in service as of 1996, and 6 regular tram...
) and GhentThe Ghent tram is public transport in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Since 1991, it has been operated by De Lijn, the public transport entity responsible for buses and trams in Flanders. As of the end of 2008, there were 40 HermeLijn trams and 43 PCC trams, running on three routes.-General...
and the Belgian Coast Tram
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Chemins de fer de Corse
- Panoramique des Domes
The rack railway of Puy de Dôme is a 5.2 km long rack railway being built to allow access to the top of the Puy de Dôme in France...
- Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway
- Tramway de Lille
Lille tramway is a tramway system located around the city of Lille, France. It is often called the Mongy, after Alfred Mongy, the engineer who created the interurban lines that make up the current system....
- Train des pignes
The term Train des Pignes primarily signifies the four railways with metre gauge that once existed in the departments of Alpes-Maritimes , Var , Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Bouches-du-Rhône in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur région in southern France:*Nice - Meyrargues *Nice - Digne-les-Bains...
- Yellow train
The Ligne de Cerdagne, often called the Yellow Train , is a metre gauge railway that runs from Villefranche-de-Conflent through to Mont-Louis in France. It was started in 1903 and the section to Mont-Louis was completed in 1910, followed by an extension to Latour-de-Carol in 1927.It is long and...
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Harzer Schmalspurbahnen
The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways or HSB is a network of gauge railways in the Harz mountains, in central Germany...
- Bavarian Zugspitzbahn
The Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the border between Germany and Austria runs over its western summit. South of the mountain is...
- Many tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
networks
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
- Peloponnese (formerly SPAP
Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways or SPAP was a Greek railway company founded in 1882, which owned and operated the line connecting Piraeus and Athens to Peloponnese. The company was nationalized in 1954 and absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways in 1962.-History:The first line section...
) network
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- Trams of
- Bydgoszcz
- Elbląg
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
- Grudziądz
Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...
- Łódź
- Toruń
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
- Tram of Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
- Tatra Electric Railways (Tatranské elektrické železnice)
- Children's Railway, Košice (Detská železnica, Košice)
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- Metro Bilbao
Metro Bilbao is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the region of Greater Bilbao. Its lines have a "Y" shape, with two lines that transit both banks of the Nervión river and then combine to form one line that ends in the south of Bilbao...
- EuskoTren
EuskoTren is a commuter rail service which operates in the Basque Country provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak - Ferrocarriles Vascos...
- FEVE
FEVE is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spain's of metre gauge railway.-History:...
- FGC
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya , or FGC, is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia, Spain....
- Palma de Mallorca Metro
The Palma Metro is a metro line in Palma, Spain. It consists of nine stations and was constructed between 2005 and 2007 at cost of 312 million euros.Trains run daily from 06:15 to 23:00....
- Valencia Metro
- FGV
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana or FGV is a public Valencian railway company which operates several metre gauge lines, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, in Spain....
- Tram of Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- Most of the numerous Swiss narrow gauge railways, e.g.:
- Berner Oberland Bahn
- Brünigbahn
The Brünigbahn was, until 31 December 2004, the only narrow gauge railway of the Swiss Federal Railways . On 30 June 2004, the Swiss Federal Council empowered the SBB to sell the Brünigbahn to Luzern–Stans–Engelberg-Bahn , and this company was renamed to Zentralbahn.The Brünigbahn encompasses the...
- Centovalli railway
The Domodossola-Locarno railway or 'Centovallina' is a metre-gauge railway between Domodossola, Italy and Locarno, Switzerland. It passes through the famous village of Intragna and carried over 1 million passengers in 2010. It is operated by the Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi in Switzerland...
- Furka–Oberalp-Bahn
- Chemins de fer du Jura
The Chemins de fer du Jura , the railways of the Jura canton in northern Switzerland, came about as the result of an amalgamation, in 1944, of four independent companies connecting Porrentruy to Bonfol, Saignelégier to La Chaux-de-Fonds, Glovelier to Saignelégier and Tavannes to Tramelan and Le...
- 74.3 km (besides 10.9 km in standard gauge)
- Montreux-Oberland Bernois
The Montreux-Oberland Bernois railway , is a railway operating in southwest Switzerland, one of the oldest electric railways in the country; its main line, in length, built to gauge, connects Montreux, Gstaad and Zweisimmen where passengers can transfer to a branch of the standard gauge...
- Rhaetian Railway
- Zentralbahn
The Zentralbahn is a Swiss railway company that was created on January 1, 2005, with the merger of the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg-Bahn and the Brünigbahn...
- most of the Appenzell
Appenzell is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen....
railways
- Most Swiss Trams: Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Bern, GenevaGeneva Public Transport operates most of the public transportation system in Geneva Canton, Switzerland, including the city of Geneva. The agency's head office is in Grand-Lancy, Lancy....
, Neuchâtel, ZürichVerkehrsbetriebe Zürich is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Zurich, and is wholly owned by the city. Previously known as the Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich , the organisation was founded in 1896 and adopted its current name in 1950...
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
- Trams of Lviv, Molochne, Vinnytsia
The Vinnytsia Tramway network is the part of the public transportation system that since 1913 serves Vinnytsia, the administrative center of the Vinnytsia Oblast. The tram system has a narrow rail gauge of 1000 mm that only exists in Ukraine in the cities of Lviv, Zhytomyr and Yevpatoria, as well...
, Yevpatoria and ZhytomyrZhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion...