Introduction

Prepared By : Chirag B. Patel

Railway Track Gauge

Ballast

Definition
Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a single railway line.

Dominant gauges
Gauge
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 in)

Name
Indian gauge Iberian gauge Irish gauge

Usage
India, Pakistan, Argentina, Chile Portugal, Spain

1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) 1,524 mm (5 ft) Russian gauge 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 in)

Ireland and important minor gauge in Australia Finland, Estonia CIS states, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia

Standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 in) Cape gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Meter gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 in)

Europe, North America, China, Korea, Australia, Middle East, North Africa, Mexico, Cuba, Panama, Venezuela, Peru, Uruguay (60% of the world's railways) Also high-speed lines in Japan and Spain. Southern and Central Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, New Zealand, Australia

India, Brazil, Bolivia, northern Chile, Kenya, Uganda

Broad Gauge
Broad gauge refers to any gauge wider than standard gauge or 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 in) Broad gauge is used to provide better stability and provide the easy transfer of rolling stock. It is used for main cities and routes of heavy intensities

Meter Gauge
Standard gauge is referred the gauge having a length equal to 1.00-m It is used in undeveloped area having comparatively Less intensity.

Narrow Gauge
In hilly areas and very thinly populated areas where it uneconomical to use Meter gauge, narrow gauge is used. 2-00 and 2-6 Narrow gauges are generally used.

Common gauges in INDO-PAK

Difficulties Due to Change in Gauge

At every change of gauge the passenger have to change the train which cause much inconvenience to the passengers. At the junction the goods are to be unloaded from the train and loaded into another which requires extra labor and goods likely to be damaged. The owner will have to pay extra charges for the labors causing increase in the price. Surplus wagons and engine of the one gauge can not be utilize on the other.

Continued.
During war times change in gauge causes extremes difficulties to the army and checks their quick movement. If the intensity of the traffic become more and requires wider gauge it will be impossible to change it because the change in gauge mean changing of each and everything i.e. rails, locomotives, bridges, tunnels etc.