Track gauge
Dominant gauges
Table:
Gauge

Name

Installation (km)

Installation (miles)

Usage

1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)

Metre gauge

95,000

59,000

Argentina (11,000 km or 6,800 mi), Brazil (23,489 km or 14,595 mi), Bolivia, northern Chile, Spain (Feve, FGC, Euskotren, FGV, SFM), Switzerland (RhB, MOB, BOB, MGB), Malaysia, Thailand, Indochina, Bangladesh, East Africa
(approx. 7% of the world's railways)

1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

Three foot six inch gauge

112,000

70,000

Southern and Central Africa, Nigeria (most), Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, New Zealand, Queensland, Australia, Western Australia and South Australia.
(approx. 9% of the world's railways)

1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

Standard gauge

720,000

450,000

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil (194 km or 121 mi), Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, DR Congo (Kamina-Lubumbashi section, planned), Ethiopia, France, Germany, Great Britain (United Kingdom), Greece, Hungary, India (only used in rapid transit), Indonesia (Aceh and Sulawesi), Italy, Israel, Liechtenstein, Lithuania (Rail Baltica), Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Korea, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain (AVE, Alvia and FGC), Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Also private companies' lines and JR high-speed lines in Japan. High-speed lines in Taiwan. Gautrain commuter system in South Africa.
(approx. 55% of the world's railways)

1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)

Five foot and 1520 mm gauge

220,000

140,000

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Finland, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
(approx. 17.2% of the world's railways; all contiguous – redefined from 1,524 mm (5 ft))

1,524 mm (5 ft)

Finnish gauge

5,865

3,644

Finland (contiguous to and generally compatible with 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in))

1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)

Five foot three inch gauge

9,800

6,100

Ireland, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) (1,800 km or 1,100 mi), and in the Australian states of Victoria and South Australia (4,017 km or 2,496 mi), Brazil (4,057 km or 2,521 mi)

1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in)

Iberian gauge

15,394

9,565

Portugal, Spain. Sometimes referred to as Iberian gauge. In Spain the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF) managed 11,683 km (7,259 mi) of this gauge and 22 km (14 mi) of mixed gauge at end of 2010.[24] The Portuguese Rede Ferroviária Nacional (REFER) managed 2,650 km (1,650 mi) of this gauge of this track at the same date.[24]

1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

Five foot six inch gauge

134,008

83,269

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Chile, BART in the United States San Francisco Bay Area
(approx. 11.37% of the world's railways)

Drawing on the accompanying table along with the article excerpts listed at the end.

Answer the following question: What is the installation ( km ) for the gauge also known as the Provincial , Portland , or Texas gauge ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) or 1 metre .
The Argentine railway network consisted of a 47,000 km ( 29,204 mi ) network at the end of the Second World War and was , in its time , one of the most extensive and prosperous in the world . However , with the increase in highway construction , there followed a sharp decline in railway profitability , leading to the break-up in 1993 of Ferrocarriles Argentinos ( FA ) , the state railroad corporation . During the period following privatisation , private and provincial railway companies were created and resurrected some of the major passenger routes that FA once operated . Dissatisfied with the private management of the railways , beginning in 2012 and following the Once Tragedy , the national government started to re-nationalise some of the private operators and ceased to renew their contracts . At the same time , Operadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado ( SOFSE ) was formed to manage the lines which were gradually taken over by the government in this period and Argentina 's railways began receiving far greater investment than in previous decades . In 2014 , the government also began replacing the long distance rolling stock and rails and ultimately put forward a proposal in 2015 which revived Ferrocarriles Argentinos as Nuevos Ferrocarriles Argentinos later that year . The railroad network today , with its 36,966 km ( 22,970 mi ) size , is now somewhat smaller than it once was , though still the 8th largest in the world .
Rail transport in Brazil began in the 19th century and there were many different railway companies . The railways were nationalised under RFFSA ( Rede Ferroviária Federal , Sociedade Anônima ) in 1957 . Between 1999 and 2007 , RFFSA was broken up and services are now operated by a variety of private and public operators , including América Latina Logística , Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos and SuperVia .
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 , encouraged foreign investors , mainly British , to construct railways . However , into this mix came the experience of railway building in adjacent Peru , whereby overbuilding of standard gauge line across the high Andes meant that Peru went bankrupt .
Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado ( EFE ) is the national railway of Chile .
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 ( 10,182 km electrified ) . Most railways are operated by Renfe Operadora ; metre and narrow-gauge lines are operated by FEVE and other carriers in individual autonomous communities . It is proposed and planned to build or convert more lines to standard gauge , including some dual gauging of broad-gauge lines , especially where these lines link to France , including platforms to be heightened . Spain is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Spain is 71 .
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 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) metre gauge railway . This division of Renfe was previously a stand-alone company named FEVE ( Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha , Spanish for Narrow-gauge railways ) . On 31 December 2012 the Spanish government simplified the organization of train companies merging Feve into Renfe and Adif . The rolling stock and the brand FEVE was transferred to Renfe ( renamed to Renfe Feve ) and the infrastructures were transferred to Adif .
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya ( Catalan pronunciation : [ ˌfɛrukəˈrilz ðə lə ʒənəɾəliˈtad də kətəˈluɲə ] , Catalan Government Railways ) , or FGC , is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia , Spain . The lines operated include metro and commuter lines in and around the city of Barcelona , tourist mountain railways , and rural railway lines . They include 3.5 kilometres ( 2.2 mi ) of 600 mm ( 1 ft 11 5⁄8 in ) gauge route , 140 kilometres ( 87 mi ) of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) metre gauge route , 42 kilometres ( 26 mi ) of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) standard gauge route , and 89 kilometres ( 55 mi ) of broad gauge route , making the FGC one of the few railway companies to operate on four different gauges . Whilst most lines are conventional adhesion railways , the FGC also operates two rack railways and four funicular railways . In 2018 , the network carried 87.2 million passengers .
Euskotren Trena , formerly known just as Euskotren is a commuter , inter-city and urban transit train-operating company that operates local and inter-city passenger services in the provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa , in the Basque Country , Spain . It is one of the four commercial brands under which Basque Railways operates , as a public company managed by the Basque government . The entire 181.1-kilometre ( 112.5 mi ) network uses 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) narrow gauge rail tracks which have been owned by the Basque Government since their transferral from the Spanish government ; the rail tracks and stations were part of the FEVE network until its transferral . Euskotren Trena also operates the Donostia/San Sebastián metro under the brand Metro Donostialdea . Euskotren Trena operates the railway services and networks , while Euskotren Tranbia operates the tram networks , Euskotren Autobusa the bus services and Euskotren Kargo the freight rail services . Since 2006 Euskotren Trena has been the commercial brand for the operator of the railway network in the Basque Country , which is Eusko Trenbideak , while the network itself is owned by the public entity Euskal Trenbide Sarea . In 2012 the commercial brand was changed from simply Euskotren to Euskotren Trena , adding the Basque word trena .
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana ( Valencian pronunciation : [ ˌfɛrokaˈrilz ðe la dʒeneɾaliˈtad valensiˈana ] , Valencian Government Railways ) or FGV is a Valencian public railway company which operates several 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) metre gauge lines , in the autonomous community of Valencia , Spain . The company currently operates the city metro and tram system of Valencia ( Valencia Metro ) and Alicante ( Alicante Tram ) . It also operates a non-electrified 62 km ( 39 mi ) long line , between Benidorm and Dénia , in Alicante province . The company is owned by the Generalitat Valenciana ( i.e . the regional government body of the Valencian Community ) .
Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca ( Catalan pronunciation : [ səɾˈvəjs fəroviˈaɾiz ðə məˈʎɔɾkə ] ) or SFM is a company which operates the metre gauge railway network on the Spanish island of Majorca . The total length , including Palma Metro , also operated by this company , is 85 km .
The Swiss rail network is noteworthy for its density , its coordination between services , its integration with other modes of transport , timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-alp freight system . This is made necessary by strong regulations on truck transport , and is enabled by properly coordinated intermodal logistics . In 2015 , with 5,323 kilometres ( 3,308 mi ) network length , Switzerland has not only the world 's most dense railway network ( 128.9 km/103km2 , except for very small countries and city-states ) despite the Alps covering about 60% of its surface , but it is also a world leader in kilometres traveled : 2,459 km ( 1,528 mi ) per inhabitant and year ( 2015 ) . Virtually 100% of its network is electrified , except for the few tracks on which steam locomotives operate for tourism purposes only . There are 74 railway companies in Switzerland . The share of commuters who travel to work using public transport ( as main mode of transport ) is 30% . The share of rail in goods transport performance by road and rail ( modal split ) is 39% . Switzerland was ranked first among national European rail systems in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index for its intensity of use , quality of service and strong safety rating . Switzerland had excellent intensity of use , notably driven by passenger traffic , and a good rating for quality of service and a very good rating for safety . Switzerland captured high value in return for public investment with cost to performance ratios that outperform the average ratio for all European countries . Switzerland is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Switzerland is 85 .
The Rhaetian Railway ( German : Rhätische Bahn , Italian : Ferrovia Retica , Romansh : Viafier Retica ) , abbreviated RhB , is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland . The RhB operates all the railway lines of the Swiss canton of Graubünden/Grisons , except for the line from Sargans to the cantonal capital , Chur , which are operated by the Swiss Federal Railways ( SBB CFF FFS ) , and the line from Disentis/Mustér to the Oberalp Pass , and further on to Andermatt , Uri , which is operated by Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn ( MGB ) . Inaugurated in 1888 and expanded from 1896 onwards in various sections , the RhB network is located almost entirely within Graubünden , with one station across the Italian border at Tirano . The Rhaetian Railway serves a number of major tourist destinations , such as St Moritz and Davos . One of the RhB lines , the Bernina Railway , crosses the Bernina Pass at 2,253 metres ( 7,392 ft ) above sea level and runs down to Tirano , Lombardy in Italy . In 2008 , the RhB section from the Albula/Bernina area ( the part from Thusis to Tirano , including St Moritz ) was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites . The Albula-Bernina line is the first rail line in the world to be photographed and put on Google Street View .
The Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway ( French : Chemin de fer Montreux Oberland bernois , German : Montreux Berner Oberland Bahn , abbreviated MOB ) , is a railway operating in southwest Switzerland , one of the oldest electric railways in the country ; its main line , 62.4 km ( 38.8 mi ) in length , built to 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) gauge , connects Montreux , Gstaad , and Zweisimmen , where passengers can transfer to the BLS AG owned , and standard gauge , Zweisimmen to Spiez line . There is also a 12.9 km ( 8.0 mi ) branch-line from Zweisimmen to Lenk .
The Bernese Oberland Railway ( or correctly translated Bernese Highlands Railway ; German : Berner Oberland-Bahn , BOB ) is a narrow-gauge mountain railway in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland . It runs , via a Y junction at Zweilütschinen to serve Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald . The railway is rack assisted ( that is although an adhesion railway , rack and pinion operation is used on steep sections of the line to assist traction ) . The BOB is owned by the Berner Oberland-Bahnen AG , a company that also owns the 800 mm ( 2 ft 7 1⁄2 in ) Schynige Platte Railway . Through that company it is part of the Allianz - Jungfrau Top of Europe marketing alliance , which also includes the separately owned Wengernalpbahn , Jungfraubahn , Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren , Harderbahn , and Firstbahn .
The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn is a narrow gauge railway line and a railway company ( Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn AG , MGB ) in Switzerland . The track width is 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) . It was created in 2003 through an amalgamation of Furka Oberalp Bahn ( FO ) and BVZ Zermatt-Bahn ( BVZ ) . The name comes from the Matterhorn and St. Gotthard Pass . Its network is 144 km ( 89.5 mi ) long and stretches from Disentis in the canton of Graubünden to Zermatt in the canton of Wallis , by way of the Oberalp Pass and Andermatt in the canton of Uri , the Furka Base Tunnel , Brig , and Visp . From Andermatt , a branch line ( the formerly independent Schöllenenbahn ) extends to Göschenen , at the northern end of the Gotthard Rail Tunnel . The network is an adhesion railway but using Abt rack assistance on the steeper inclines . Between Realp and Oberwald the line formerly crossed the Furka Pass , at a crest elevation of 2,162 m ( 7,093 ft ) above sea level with a 1.87 km ( 1.16 mi ) tunnel passing beneath the pass . This compares to a crest elevation of just 1,564 m ( 5,131 ft ) above sea level in today 's Furka Base Tunnel , which is 15.34 km ( 9.53 mi ) long . The old line , the scenic route , which is very attractive to tourists , is operated by the Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke ( DFB ) ( Furka Heritage Railway ) using veteran steam engines . There is a connection to the Rhaetian Railway in Disentis and the Glacier Express runs from Zermatt to St. Moritz , using stock from both companies .
Rail transport in Malaysia comprises heavy rail ( including commuter rail ) , light rapid transit ( LRT ) , mass rapid transit ( MRT ) , monorail , airport rail link and a funicular railway line . Heavy rail is mostly used for intercity passenger and freight transport as well as some urban public transport , while rapid transit are used for intra-city urban public transport . There are two airport rail link services linking Kuala Lumpur with the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Subang Airport . The sole monorail line in the country is also used for public transport in Kuala Lumpur , while the only funicular railway line is in Penang . The railway network covers most of the 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia . In East Malaysia , only the state of Sabah has railways . The network is also connected to the Thai railway 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) network in the north . If the Burma Railway is rebuilt , services to Myanmar , India , and China could be initiated .
The railway network of Thailand is managed and operated by the State Railway of Thailand ( SRT ) .
Mainland Southeast Asia ( or the Indochinese Peninsula ) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia . It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east . It includes the countries of Myanmar ( Burma ) , Thailand , peninsular Malaysia , Laos , Cambodia and Vietnam . The term Indochina ( originally Indo-China ) was coined in the early nineteenth century . It emphasizes the cultural influence on the area of Indian civilization and Chinese civilization . The term was later adopted as the name of the colony of French Indochina ( today 's Cambodia , Vietnam , and Laos ) .
Railways with a track gauge of 3 ft 6 in / 1,067 mm were first constructed as horse-drawn wagonways . From the mid-nineteenth century , the 3 ft 6 in gauge became widespread in the British Empire , and was adopted as a standard in Japan and Taiwan . There are approximately 112,000 kilometres ( 70,000 mi ) of 1,067 mm gauge track in the world , which are classified as narrow gauge railways .
Railways in Nigeria are operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation . Nigeria 's rail system consists of 3,505 km of 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge lines and 507 km of standard gauge lines . Efforts are underway to develop the Cape gauge network as well as construct a new standard gauge network that can help transportation through this means to be suitable .
The majority of Indonesia 's railways are on Java , used for both passenger and freight transport . There are three noncontinuous railway networks in Sumatra ( Aceh and North Sumatra ; West Sumatra ; South Sumatra and Lampung ) with two new networks is being developed in Kalimantan and Sulawesi . Indonesia has finalized its plan for a national railway network recently . According to the plan , 3,200 km of train tracks that will criss-cross the islands of Sumatra , Java , Kalimantan , and Sulawesi , it has been touted as the most extensive railway project in Indonesia since its independence from the Dutch in 1945 . Urban railway exist in form of commuter rail in Jakarta , Bandung , and Surabaya . New mass rapid transit and light rail transit system are currently being introduced in Jakarta and Palembang . Despite Indonesia has a left-hand running for roads , most of the railway lines use right-hand running due to Dutch influence . Indonesia 's rail gauge is 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) , although 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) and 750 mm ( 2 ft 5 1⁄2 in ) lines previously existed . Newer constructions in Aceh , Kalimantan , and Sulawesi , along with the Jakarta LRT , are using the 1,435 mm gauge . Most of the Jakarta metropolitan area is electrified at 1500 V DC overhead . Indonesia 's railways are operated by the state-owned PT Kereta Api , its commuter subsidiary , the Kereta Commuter Indonesia , and the airport rail link subsidiary , the Railink ( airport rail link ) . The infrastructure is state-owned , and companies [ further explanation needed ] pay a fee for using the railways .
Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger transport , especially for mass and high-speed travel between major cities and for commuter transport in urban areas . It is used relatively little for freight transport , accounting for just 0.84% of goods movement . The privatised network is highly efficient , requiring few subsidies and running extremely punctually .
Rail transport in Taiwan consists of 1691.8 km ( as of 2015 ) of railway networks . Though no longer as dominant as it once was , rail transport is an extremely important form of transportation in Taiwan due to high population density , especially along the densely populated western corridor . In 2016 , over 1.09 billion passengers traveled by rail in Taiwan , averaging 2.99 million passengers per day . The railways of Taiwan include conventional rail , rapid transit systems , and high-speed rail , as well as specialized railways for tourists and industry . Taiwan Railways Administration is an associate member and Taiwan High Speed Rail is an active member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) , even though Taiwan does not have state membership . Rail transport was introduced to Taiwan in 1891 during its late Qing era . Push car railways were brought to Taiwan during Japanese rule and were in general service from 1895 to the late 1940s . All railway services are located in the main island of Taiwan . Outer islands including Penghu , Kinmen , and Matsu Islands do not have railways .
Rail transportation in the Philippines presently is used mostly to transport passengers within Metro Manila and the nearby province of Laguna , as well as a commuter service in the Bicol Region . Freight transport is nonexistent , although there are plans for a revival from Port Area , Manila to Laguna , and a cargo train planned between Subic and Clark . Currently , the country has a railway footprint of only 212 kilometers ( 132 mi ) through Line 1 , Line 2 , Line 3 and the Philippine National Railways ' ( PNR ) Metro Commuter Line , although the government has stated to expand the network by 244 kilometers ( 152 mi ) in Luzon , as well as building the 102 km ( 63 mi ) first phase of the 1,550 kilometers ( 960 mi ) Mindanao Railway expansion . The Philippine railway network consists of two commuter rail services provided by PNR , and three mass rapid transit systems operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority and Metro Rail Transit Corporation . Within the last century , there were operating intercity rail lines extending from Manila both north and south , as well as on Panay and Cebu islands . The Philippine Railway Company , which operated both the Panay and Cebu lines , still exists but owns no rolling stock or rail , only property . On-going railway projects include , among other planned projects listed in this article , the 22.8-kilometer Line 7 , the 11.7 kilometer Line 1 South Extension , the 4 kilometer Line 2 East Extension , the Metro Manila Subway ( Line 9 ) and the first phase of the 147 kilometer North-South Commuter Railway ( PNR Clark 1 ) .
Rail transport in New Zealand is an integral part of New Zealand 's transport network , with a nationwide network of 4,128 km of track linking most major cities in the North and South Islands , connected by inter-island rail and road ferries . Rail transport in New Zealand has a particular focus on bulk freight exports and imports , with 19 million net tonnes moved by rail annually , with 99.5% of New Zealand 's exports and imports being transported through the country 's seaports . Rail transport played an important role in the opening up and development of the hinterland outside of New Zealand 's predominantly dispersed and coastal settlements . Starting with the Ferrymead Railway in 1863 , most public railway lines were short , built by provincial governments and connected major centres to their nearest seaport ( such as Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton Harbour ) . However , from the 1870s , focus shifted to building a nationwide network linking major centres , especially during the Vogel Era of railway construction following the abolition of the provinces . Narrow gauge of 3ft 6in ( 1,067mm ) was adopted nationally . Railways became centrally controlled as a government department under the names New Zealand Government Railways or New Zealand Railways Department ( NZR ) , and land transport was heavily regulated from 1931 onwards . NZR eventually expanded into other transport modes , especially with the Railways Road Services , inter-island ferries and Rail Air service . NZR also had an extensive network of workshops . By 1981 , NZR employed 22,000 staff . In the early 1980s , NZR was corporatised as the New Zealand Railways Corporation and drastically restructured , especially following the deregulation of land transport in 1983 . The Corporation became a state-owned enterprise in 1987 , required to turn a profit .
The Queensland rail network , the first in the world to adopt 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow gauge for a main line , and now the second largest narrow gauge network in the world , consists of :
Railways in Western Australia were developed in the 19th century both by the Government of Western Australia and a number of private companies . Today passenger rail services are controlled by the Public Transport Authority ( a department of the Government of Western Australia ) through Transperth , which operates public transport in Perth , and Transwa , which operates country passenger services . Great Southern Rail operates the Indian Pacific . The interstate standard gauge line east from Kalgoorlie is owned by the Australian Rail Track Corporation , with most other lines leased by the state to Arc Infrastructure . Freight rail was privatised in 2000 . General intrastate freight is mainly operated by Aurizon , while grain traffic is operated by Watco under contract to the CBH Group . Interstate traffic is operated by Pacific National and SCT Logistics . A number of private iron ore haulage railways also operate in the Pilbara region of the state .
The first railway in colonial South Australia was a horse-drawn tramway from the port of Goolwa on the Murray River to an ocean harbour at Port Elliot in 1854 . Today the state has 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) broad gauge suburban railways in Adelaide , a number of country freight lines , as well as key 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) standard gauge links to other states .
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson , International gauge , UIC gauge , uniform gauge , normal gauge and European gauge in Europe . It is the most widely used railway track gauge across the world , with approximately 55% of the lines in the world using it . All high-speed rail lines use standard gauge except those in Russia , Finland , Portugal and Uzbekistan . The distance between the inside edges of the rails is defined to be 1435 mm except in the United States and on some heritage British lines , where it is still defined in U.S. customary units as exactly four feet eight and one half inches ( 0.1 mm larger than the metric standard ) .
The railways in Albania are administered by the national railway company Hekurudha Shqiptare ( HSH ) ( Albanian : Albanian Railways ) . It operates a standard-gauge railway gauge ( 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) ) rail system in Albania . All trains are hauled by Czech-built ČKD diesel-electric locomotives . The small system was considered by many travel guides as a tourist attraction and de facto a panoramic train journey , however the railway from Elbasan to Pogradec , the most beautiful part of railway , was closed in 2012 due to the poor condition of the line and the structures along it . There is only one international link , with Montenegro , the Podgorica-Shkodër railway , which has only ever been used for freight traffic , and whose last station in Albania is the Bajzë Rail Station .
Rail transport in Australia is a crucial aspect of the Australian transport network . Rail in Australia is to a large extent state-based . As at 2018 , the Australian rail network consisted of a total of 36,064 kilometres ( 22,409 mi ) of track on three major track gauges . Except for a small number of private railways , most of the Australian railway network infrastructure is government-owned , either at the federal or state level . Most railway operators were once state government agencies , but with privatisation in the 1990s , private companies now operate the majority of trains in Australia . [ citation needed ] The Australian federal government is involved in the formation of national policies , and provides funding for national projects . Rail transport in Australia has often been neglected in favour of the Australian road transport network .
Rail transport in Austria is mainly owned by the national rail company ÖBB . The railway network consists of 6,123 km , its gauge is 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) standard gauge and 3,523 km are electrified . Austria is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Austria is 81 .
Belgium has an extensive rail network . It is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Belgium is 88 .
Railway operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina are successors of the Yugoslav Railways within the country boundaries following independence from Yugoslavia in March 1992 .
The Bulgarian State Railways ( Bulgarian : Български държавни железници , Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi , abbreviated as БДЖ , BDZ or BDŽ ) are Bulgaria 's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country , established as an entity in 1888 . The company 's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia . Since the 1990s the BDŽ has met serious competition from automotive transport . Up to 2002 the company also owned/managed the railway infrastructure in the country , when according to EU regulations [ clarification needed ] a new state company , the National Railway Infrastructure Company , was founded and became the owner of the infrastructure . Bulgaria is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Bulgaria is 52 .
Canada has a large and well-developed railway system that today transports primarily freight . There are two major publicly traded transcontinental freight railway systems , Canadian National and Canadian Pacific . Nationwide passenger services are provided by the federal crown corporation Via Rail . Three Canadian cities have commuter train services : in the Montreal area by Réseau de transport métropolitain , in the Toronto area by GO Transit , and in the Vancouver area by West Coast Express . These cities and several others are also served by light rail or metro systems . Only one ( Toronto ) has an extensive streetcar ( tram ) system . Smaller railways such as Ontario Northland Railway and Algoma Central Railway also run passenger trains to remote rural areas . The Rocky Mountaineer and Royal Canadian Pacific provide luxury rail tours for viewing scenery in the Canadian Rockies as well as other mountainous areas of British Columbia and Alberta . Canada has 49,422 kilometres ( 30,709 mi ) total trackage , of which only 129 kilometres ( 80 mi ) is electrified ( almost exclusively part of urban rail transit networks ) . Canada uses 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) ( standard gauge ) track for the majority of its railway system . The exceptions to this are small lines isolated from the main North American rail network used in resource industries such as mining or forestry , some of which are narrow gauge , and the broad-gauge streetcar and subway lines of Toronto .
Rail transport is an important mode of long-distance transportation in the People 's Republic of China . As of 2015 , the country has 121,000 km ( 75,186 mi ) [ a ] of railways , the second longest network in the world . By the end of 2018 , China had 29,000 kilometres ( 18,020 miles ) of high-speed rail ( HSR ) , the longest HSR network in the world . Almost all rail operations are handled by the China State Railway Group Company , Limited , a state-owned company created in March 2013 ( as China Railway Corporation ) from dissolution of the Ministry of Railways . It was converted into a joint-stock company and placed under the control of the Ministry of Finance in June 2019 . China 's railways are among the busiest in the world . In 2014 , railways in China delivered 2.357 billion passenger trips , generating 1,160.48 billion passenger-kilometres and carried 3.813 billion tonnes of freight , generating 2,753 billion cargo tonne-kilometres . Freight traffic turnover has increased more than fivefold over the period 1980-2013 and passenger traffic turnover has increased more than sevenfold over the same period . Driven by need to increase freight capacity , the railway network has expanded with the country budgeting $ 130.4 billion for railway investment in 2014 , and has a long term plan to expand the network to 274,000 km
Croatian Railways ( Croatian : Hrvatske željeznice or HŽ ) is the national railway company of Croatia . Croatia is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Croatia is 78 . The Croatian rail network carried 19.87 million passengers in 2017 .
Ferrocarriles de Cuba ( FCC ) or Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Cuba ( English : National Railway Company of Cuba ) , provides passenger and freight services for Cuba .
Rail transport in the Czech Republic carried 162.906 million passengers and 68.37 million tonnes of cargo in the year 2009 . The majority of passenger services run nowadays are operated by the state company České dráhy ( Czech Railways ) , which until 2007 also managed cargo services now run by ČD Cargo . In 2009 the country had 9,420 km of standard gauge track , 3,153 km of which is electrified . There are two main electrification systems in the Czech Republic , 3 kV DC in the northern part , and 25 kV 50 Hz AC in the south ( in addition , one historical 24 km long line uses 1.5 kV DC ; and since 2009 one short local line to Austria uses 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC ) . Locomotives had to be changed on boundaries in the past , two-system locomotives have been introduced in 1974 . The network has same gauge links to all four countries bordering the Czech Republic ( Slovakia , Austria , Germany and Poland ) with passenger services to all four countries in operation . Major hubs for international passenger services on the network are in Prague , Ostrava , Brno and Břeclav , and the busiest station ( by number of passengers ) is Praha hlavní nádraží .
The rail transport system in Denmark consists of 2,633 km of railway lines , of which the Copenhagen S-train network , the main line Helsingør-Copenhagen-Padborg ( at the German border ) , and the Lunderskov-Esbjerg line are electrified . Most traffic is passenger trains , although there is considerable transit goods traffic between Sweden and Germany . Maintenance work on most Danish railway lines is done by Banedanmark , a state-owned company that also allocates tracks for train operators . The majority of passenger trains are operated by DSB , with Arriva and Nordjyske Jernbaner operating on some lines in Jutland . Goods transport is mainly performed by DB Schenker Rail , although other operators take care of a significant portion of the non-transit traffic . Denmark is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Denmark is 86 .
Rail transport in Djibouti is administered through the Ethio-Djibouti Standard Gauge Rail Transport Share Company , a bi-national company between Ethiopia and Djibouti to manage the only railway in Djibouti , the electrified standard gauge international Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway . This railway opened on 1 January 2018 replaced the international metre gauge railway from Djibouti 's capital Djibouti City to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa , which was officially decommissioned in 2016 .
Rail transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is provided by the National Railway Company of the Congo , the ONATRA and the Office of the Uele Railways ( Office des Chemins de fer des Ueles , CFU ) . The national system is mostly operated by the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo , SNCC . Not all rail lines link up , but are generally connected by river transport . The rail systems are listed below .
Rail transport in Ethiopia is done within the National Railway Network of Ethiopia , which currently consists of three electrified standard gauge railway lines : the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway , the Awash-Weldiya Railway and the Weldiya-Mekelle Railway . Other lines are still in the planning phase . There is also a metro system in the country 's capital , the Addis Ababa Light Rail . All railways in Ethiopia are owned and operated by an Ethiopian state-owned enterprise , the Ethiopian Railway Corporation ( ERC ) . A planned legislation opens rail transport to the private sector , from the construction of rail infrastructure to the operation of the same infrastructure and on to the operation of privately owned trains .
Rail transport in France is marked by a clear predominance of passenger traffic , driven in particular by high-speed rail . The SNCF , the national state-owned railway company , operates most of the passenger and freight services on the national network managed by its subsidiary SNCF Réseau . France currently operates the second-largest European railway network , with a total of 29,901 kilometres of railway . The first rail line in the country opened in 1827 from Saint-Étienne to Andrézieux . The network has undergone a major modernization since 1981 with the arrival of the TGV high-speed rail service which has been consistently expanded in subsequent years . In 2017 , there were 1.762 billion journeys on the French national rail network , among which 1.270 billion on SNCF services and 493 million on RATP sections of the RER , the express regional network operating in the Paris area which is shared between both companies . The Paris suburban rail services represents alone 82% of the French rail annual ridership . With a total of 100.2 billion passenger-kilometres , France has the fifth-most used passenger network worldwide , and second-most used in Europe after that of Russia . France is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for France is 87 . National and regional services ( TER ) are complemented by an important network of urban rails which is still rapidly growing . Six cities are served by metro systems ( Lille , Lyon , Marseille , Paris , Rennes and Toulouse ) .
As of 2015 [ update ] , Germany had a railway network of 33,331 km of which 19,983 km were electrified and 18,201 km were double track . Germany is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Germany is 80 . Germany was ranked fourth among national European rail systems in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index assessing intensity of use , quality of service and safety . Germany had a very good rating for intensity of use , by both passengers and freight , and good ratings for quality of service and safety . Germany also captured relatively high value in return for public investment with cost to performance ratios that outperform the average ratio for all European countries .
The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world . The first locomotive-hauled public railway opened in 1825 , which was followed by an era of rapid expansion . Whilst the network suffered gradual attrition from about 1900 onwards , and more severe rationalisation in the 1950s and 1960s , the network has again been growing since the 1980s . The UK was ranked eighth among national European rail systems in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index for intensity of use , quality of service and safety performance . Most of the track is managed by Network Rail , which in 2017 had a network of 15,811 kilometres ( 9,824 mi ) of standard-gauge lines , of which 5,374 kilometres ( 3,339 mi ) were electrified . These lines range from single to quadruple track or more . In addition , some cities have separate metro , light rail and tram systems ( including the extensive and historic London Underground ) . There are also many private railways ( some of them narrow-gauge ) , which are primarily short lines for tourists . The main rail network is connected with that of continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel and High Speed 1 ( originally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link ) , which fully opened in 1994 and 2007 respectively . The United Kingdom is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for United Kingdom is 70 . The UK has the 17th largest railway network in the world ; despite many lines having closed in the 20th century it remains one of the densest networks .
The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , and previously consisted of Great Britain and the whole of Ireland . Rail transport systems developed independently on the two island masses of Great Britain and Ireland , and most of the railway construction in the Republic of Ireland was undertaken before the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922 . Thus , the logical division to discuss the history and present-day state of railways in these areas is by geographical division , rather than the nationalist division of nation states . The United Kingdom is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for United Kingdom is 70 .
Rail transport in Greece has a history which began in 1869 , with the completion of the then Athens & Piraeus Railway , with parts of it also becoming the second-oldest underground metro system in the world . The running of the Greek railways is split between the Hellenic Railways Organisation ( OSE ) , which owns and maintains the infrastructure , TrainOSE , Proastiakos Railways , and TrainHellas , companies that run the trains on the network . TrainOse and Proastiakos are private ( part of the FSI group ) , and TrainHellas is a public company that only runs slow trains Greece is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Greece is 73 .
Rail transport in Hungary is mainly owned by the national rail company MÁV , with a significant portion of the network owned and operated by GySEV . The railway network consists of 7,893 km , its gauge is 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) standard gauge and 3,060 km are electrified . Hungary is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC country code for Hungary is 55 .
Rail transport is an important mode of transport in India . All main-line rail operations in India are handled by Indian Railways ( IR ) , a state-owned organization of the Ministry of Railways . As of March 2017 [ update ] , the rail network comprises 121,407 km ( 75,439 mi ) of track over a route of 67,368 km ( 41,861 mi ) and 7,349 stations . It is the fourth-largest railway network in the world ( after those of the United States , Russia and China ) . Forty nine percent of the routes are electrified with 25 KV AC electric traction while thirty-three percent of them are double or multi-tracked . It is one of the busiest networks in the world , transporting 8.107 billion passengers and over 1.108 billion tonnes of freight annually , as of 2017 . [ update ] Indian Railways is the world 's eighth largest employer , with more than 1.308 million employees as of March 2018 . As of March 2017 , IR 's rolling stock consisted of 277,987 freight wagons , 70,937 passenger coaches and 11,452 locomotives . IR owns locomotive and coach-production facilities at several locations in India . The urban rail transit systems across the country are operated independently of Indian Railways . There are currently 11 operational rapid transit ( also called 'metro ' ) systems in ten cities in India . As of September 2019 , India has 638 kilometres ( 396 miles ) of operational metro lines and 502 stations .
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit ( MRT ) , also known as heavy rail , metro , subway , tube , U-Bahn or underground , is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas . Unlike buses or trams , rapid transit systems are electric railways that operate on an exclusive right-of-way , which can not be accessed by pedestrians or other vehicles of any sort , and which is often grade separated in tunnels or on elevated railways . Modern service on rapid transit systems are provided on designated lines between stations typically using electric multiple units on rail tracks , although some systems use guided rubber tires , magnetic levitation , or monorail . The stations typically have high platforms , without steps inside the trains , requiring custom-made trains in order to minimize gaps between train and platform . They are typically integrated with other public transport and often operated by the same public transport authorities . However , some rapid transit systems have at-grade intersections between a rapid transit line and a road or between two rapid transit lines . The world 's first rapid transit system was the partially underground Metropolitan Railway which opened as a conventional railway in 1863 , and now forms part of the London Underground . In 1868 , New York opened the elevated West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway , initially a cable-hauled line using static steam engines . China has the largest number of rapid transit systems in the world at 31 , with over 4,500 km of lines and is responsible for most of the world 's rapid transit expansion in the past decade . The world 's longest single-operator rapid transit system by route length is the Shanghai Metro . The world 's largest single rapid transit service provider by number of stations ( 472 stations in total ) is the New York City Subway . The busiest rapid transit systems in the world by annual ridership are the Tokyo subway system , the Seoul Metropolitan Subway , the Moscow Metro , the Beijing Subway , the Shanghai Metro , the Shenzhen Metro , the Guangzhou Metro , the New York City Subway , the Mexico City Metro , the Paris Métro , the Hong Kong MTR and the Singapore MRT .
Aceh ( /ˈɑːtʃeɪ/ ) is the westernmost province of Indonesia . It is located on the northern end of Sumatra , with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city . Granted a special autonomous status , Aceh is a religiously conservative territory and the only Indonesian province practicing Sharia law officially . There are ten indigenous ethnic groups in this region , the largest being the Acehnese people , accounting for approximately 80% to 90% of the region 's population . Aceh is the place where the spread of Islam in Indonesia began , and was a key factor of the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia . Islam reached Aceh ( Kingdoms of Fansur and Lamuri ) around 1250 AD . In the early seventeenth century the Sultanate of Aceh was the most wealthy , powerful and cultivated state in the Malacca Straits region . Aceh has a history of political independence and resistance to control by outsiders , including the former Dutch colonists and later the Indonesian government . Aceh has substantial natural resources of oil and natural gas . Aceh was the closest point of land to the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami , which devastated much of the western coast of the province . Approximately 170,000 Indonesians were killed or went missing in the disaster . The disaster helped precipitate the peace agreement between the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement ( GAM ) .
Sulawesi /ˌsuːləˈweɪsi/ , also known as Celebes ( /ˈsɛlɪbiːz , sɪˈliːbiːz/ ) , is one of the four Greater Sunda Islands . It is governed by Indonesia . The world 's eleventh-largest island , it is situated east of Borneo , west of the Maluku Islands , and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago . Within Indonesia , only Sumatra , Borneo and Papua are larger in territory , and only Java and Sumatra have larger populations . The landmass of Sulawesi includes four peninsulas : the northern Minahasa Peninsula ; the East Peninsula ; the South Peninsula ; and the Southeast Peninsula . Three gulfs separate these peninsulas : the Gulf of Tomini between the northern Minahasa and East peninsulas ; the Tolo Gulf between the East and Southeast peninsulas ; and the Bone Gulf between the South and Southeast peninsulas . The Strait of Makassar runs along the western side of the island and separates the island from Borneo .
The Italian railway system is one of the most important parts of the infrastructure of Italy , with a total length of 24,227 km ( 15,054 mi ) of which active lines are 16,723 km . The network has recently grown with the construction of the new high-speed rail network . Italy is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Italy is 83 .
Rail transport in Israel includes heavy rail ( inter-city , commuter , and freight rail ) as well as light rail . Excluding light rail , the network consists of 1,384 kilometers ( 860 mi ) of track , and is undergoing constant expansion . All of the lines are standard gauge and as of 2016 the heavy rail network is in the initial stages of an electrification programme . A government owned company , Israel Railways , manages the entire heavy rail network . Most of the network is located on the densely populated coastal plain . The only light rail line in Israel is the Jerusalem Light Rail , though another line in Tel Aviv is currently under construction . Many of the rail routes in Israel date back to before the establishment of the state - to the days of the British Mandate for Palestine and earlier . Rail infrastructure was considered less important than road infrastructure during the state 's early years , and except for the construction of the coastal railway in the early 1950s , the network saw little investment until the late 1980s . In 1993 , a rail connection was opened between the coastal railway from the north and southern lines ( the railway to Jerusalem and railway to Beersheba ) through Tel Aviv . Previously the only connection between northern railways and southern railways bypassed the Tel Aviv region - Israel 's population and commercial center . The linking of the nationwide rail network through the heart of Tel Aviv was a major factor in facilitating further expansion in the overall network during the 1990s and 2000s and as a result of the heavy infrastructure investments passenger traffic rose significantly , from about 2.5 million per year in 1990 to about 53 million in 2015 . Israel is a member of the International Union of Railways and its UIC country code is 95 .
Liechtenstein 's one railway line is operated by Austrian Federal Railways . As such , it represents an exception to the more usual Liechtenstein practice of co-operating closely with Switzerland , as in the case of the principality 's use of the Swiss franc as its currency and its membership of a common customs area with its western neighbour . The railway carries international services between Austria and Switzerland , most of which run non-stop through the principality , although a number of local stopping trains do call at three of the four stations located in Liechtenstein .
Lithuanian Railways ( Lithuanian : Lietuvos geležinkeliai ) is the national , state-owned railway company of Lithuania . It operates most railway lines in the country . Lithuanian Railways ' main network consists of 1,749 km of 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) broad gauge railway of which 122 km are electrified . They also operate 22 km of standard gauge railway and a ~100 km dual gauge ( standard and broad ) line from Šeštokai to Kaunas . A 179 km 750 mm ( 2 ft 5 1⁄2 in ) narrow gauge network , listed as an object of cultural heritage , was split off into a separate company Aukštaitijos Siaurasis Geležinkelis in 2001 . 68 km of narrow gauge , serving five stations , are regularly used , employing 12 locomotives . In 2006 Lithuanian Railways transported 6.2 million passengers and 50 million tonnes of freight . Oil is the main freight item carried .
Rail Baltica ( also known as Rail Baltic in Estonia and the Baltic part referred to as the Rail Baltica Global Project ) is an ongoing greenfield railway infrastructure project to link Finland , Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania and Poland with a European standard gauge rail line . Its purpose is to provide passenger and freight service between participating countries and improve rail connections between Central and Northern Europe . Furthermore , it is intended to be a catalyst for building the economic corridor in Northeastern Europe . The project envisages a continuous rail link from Tallinn ( Estonia ) to Warsaw ( Poland ) . It consists of links via Riga ( Latvia ) , Kaunas and Vilnius ( Lithuania ) . Rail Baltica is one of the priority projects of the European Union : Trans-European Transport Networks ( TEN-T ) . According to a study produced by Ernst & Young , the measurable socio-economic benefits are estimated at 16.2 billion euros . The assessed GDP multiplier effect the Rail Baltica Global Project would create is an additional 2 billion euros . According to the same study , Rail Baltic will save an estimated 400 human lives in the span of 29 years .
The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois ( Luxembourg National Railway Company , abbreviated CFL ) is the national railway company of Luxembourg . In 2013 , it carried approximately 20.7 million passengers and 804 million tonnes of goods . The company employs 3,090 people , making CFL the country 's seventh-largest corporate employer . The Luxembourg rail system comprises 275 route-kilometres ( 170 miles ) , of which 140 kilometres ( 87 mi ) is double track and 135 kilometres ( 84 mi ) single track . Of the total track length of 617 kilometres ( 383 mi ) , 574 kilometres ( 357 mi ) are electrified . The majority of the electrified track ( 526 kilometres ( 327 mi ) ) is operated at 25 kV , 50 Hz , though some 48 kilometres ( 30 mi ) are run at 3 kV DC . Luxembourg borders Belgium , France and Germany . Correspondingly , there are cross-border services into these countries . Some are wholly run by CFL , whereas others are run by SNCF , NMBS/SNCB and DB . CFL passenger trains cover the majority of the network . CFL operates the majority of its passenger trains using EMUs and electric locomotives with push-pull stock . The company also has a fleet of diesel locomotives for hauling freight trains and for general shunting purposes .
Makedonski Železnici ( MŽ ; Macedonian : Македонски Железници ( МЖ ) , Macedonian Railways ) is the public enterprise for railways in the Republic of North Macedonia . Railway operations are run by Železnici na Republika Severna Makedonija Transport and the infrastructure maintained by Makedonski Železnici Infrastruktura . The Republic of North Macedonia is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for the Republic of North Macedonia is 65 . Macedonian Railways operates 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) standard gauge rail tracks in North Macedonia and maintains 925 km ( 575 mi ) of lines , 315 km ( 196 mi ) of which are electrified with the 25 kV 50 Hz AC system .
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 ( the majority of the service is freight-oriented ) , 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 Montenegro is operated by four separate companies , which independently handle railway infrastructure , passenger transport , cargo transport and maintenance of the rolling stock . The four companies were a part of public company Railways of Montenegro ( Montenegrin : Željeznica Crne Gore / Жељезница Црне Горе ( ŽCG ) ) until it was split up in 2008 . Montenegro is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Montenegro is 62 .
Rail transport in the Netherlands uses a dense railway network which connects nearly all major towns and cities . There are as many train stations as there are municipalities in the Netherlands . The network totals 3,223 route km on 6,830 kilometres of track ; a line may run both ways , or two lines may run ( one in each direction ) on major routes . Three-quarters of the lines have been electrified . The Dutch rail network primarily supports passenger transport . Rail travel comprises the majority of the distance travelled on Dutch public transport . The national rail infrastructure is managed and maintained by the government agency ProRail , and a number of operators have concessions to operate their trains . The entire network is standard gauge . The Netherlands is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) , and its country code is 84 .
Rail transport in North Korea is provided by Korean State Railway ( 조선 민주주의 인민 공화국 철도성 , Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk Ch'ŏldosŏng ) which is the only rail operator in North Korea . It has a network of over 6,000 km of track , of which the vast majority is standard gauge ; there is , however , nearly 400 km of narrow-gauge lines ( 762 mm ) in various locations around the country .
The Norwegian railway system comprises 4,087 km of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) ( standard gauge ) track of which 2,622 km is electrified and 242 km double track . There are 696 tunnels and 2,760 bridges . The Norwegian Railway Directorate manages the railway network in Norway on behalf the Ministry of Transport and Communications . Bane NOR is a state enterprise which builds and maintains all railway tracks , while other companies operate them . These companies include Vy and subsidiaries Vy Gjøvikbanen and CargoNet , Flytoget , Go-Ahead , Green Cargo , Grenland Rail and Hector Rail . Norway is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Norway is 76 .
Since 2008 , the only functioning railroad in Panama has been the Panama Canal Railway , operated by the Panama Canal Railway Company , successor of Panama Railway , which provides passenger and freight service between Panama City ( on the Pacific coast ) and Colón ( on the Atlantic coast ) . Historically , there were also narrow gauge railroads in Chiriquí Province ( Ferrocarril de Chiriquí ) , which were abandoned in the late 20th century .
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 . Many Peruvian railroad lines owe their origins to contracts granted to United States entrepreneurs Henry Meiggs and W. R. Grace and Company but the mountainous nature of Peru made expansion slow and much of the surviving mileage is of twentieth-century origin . It was also challenging to operate , especially in the age of the steam locomotive . In the latter part of the 1880s , the principal public railways , the Central and Southern , with others , passed to the control of the Peruvian Corporation , registered in London and controlled by Americans Michael and William R. Grace . In 1972 they were nationalized as Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perú ( ENAFER ) , but this survived as an operator only until 1999 when most surviving lines were privatized . Regular passenger traffic now operates over only a small proportion of the mileage . The Tacna-Arica line crosses the boundary with Chile , running twice daily , once in the morning and once in the late afternoon . The Southern Railway provides connection with Bolivia by ship across Lake Titicaca .
The Polish railways network consists of around 18,510 kilometres ( 11,500 mi ) of track as of 2015 , of which the vast majority is electrified at 3 kV DC overhead . Poland is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) : its UIC Country Code is 51 . Rail services are operated by a range of public and private rail operators . The nationally owned PKP Group operates the majority of rail services . In addition to PKP owned companies , there are a number of private cargo operators , as well as a number of independent passenger operators , owned predominantly by Voivodeship provincial governments .
The first railway in the Kingdom of Romania opened in 1869 and linked Bucharest and Giurgiu . The first railway on current Romanian territory opened in 1854 , between Oraviţa and Baziaş in Banat , however that region was under the administration of the Austrian Empire at the time . [ citation needed ] Since then , the Romanian railway network has been significantly expanded , and is now the fourth largest in Europe by total track length , comprising 22,298 km ( 13,855 mi ) . Of these , some 8,585 km are electrified . The route length is 10,788 km . Romania 's railway system is inadequately-connected and one of the least durable railway systems globally . Romania is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Romania is 53 .
Serbian Railways ( Serbian : Железнице Србије , romanized : Železnice Srbije ; abbr . ŽS or ЖС ) is a Serbian engineering and technical consulting company based in Belgrade , Serbia . It is an affiliated member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . In 2015 , the Government of Serbia established three new companies which took over Serbian Railways ' former jurisdictions : Srbija Voz ( passenger transport ) , Srbija Kargo ( cargo transport ) and Serbian Railways Infrastructure ( infrastructure management ) . Since then , Serbian Railways continued with modified business activity : engineering and technical consulting , consulting activities in the field of information technology and other information technology services , buying and selling real estate , rental and management activities , accounting , bookkeeping and auditing activities , tax advisory services , technical testing and analysis , rental and leasing of other machinery , equipment of non-material goods , activities of the museums , galleries and collections .
Rail transport in Slovakia began on 21 September 1840 , with the opening of the first horse-powered line from Bratislava to Svätý Jur ( at that time in Kingdom of Hungary ) . The first steam-powered line , from Bratislava to Vienna , opened on 20 August 1848 . The modern Železnice Slovenskej republiky company was established in 1993 as a successor of the Československé státní drahy in Slovakia . Until 1996 it had formal monopoly on railroad transportation in the country , which remained a de facto monopoly until the advent of private operators entering the network in the early 2010s . Private passenger service operators include RegioJet , which operate trains between Prague ( Czech Republic ) and Košice , Žilina and Košice , Žilina and Bratislava and on the Komárno - Dunajská Streda - Bratislava route . There are plans to win more tenders in Slovakia . Since 2002 a law divided the company : ŽSR was left with infrastructure maintenance and passenger and cargo transport was moved into company Železničná spoločnosť , a. s. ( ZSSK ) . In 2005 this new company was further split into Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko , a. s. ( ZSSK ) providing Passenger transport services and Železničná spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia , a. s. ( ZSSK Cargo ) providing cargo services . Freight transport is operated by ZSCS and around 30 private companies . Slovakia is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Slovakia is 56 .
Slovenian Railways ( Slovene : Slovenske železnice , SŽ ) is the state railway company of Slovenia , created in 1991 from the Ljubljana division of the former Yugoslav Railways after the breakup of Yugoslavia . Slovenia is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Slovenia is 79 .
The rail transportation system in South Korea includes mainline railway lines and rapid transit system in some major cities .
Alta Velocidad Española ( AVE ) [ a ] is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe , the Spanish national railway company , at speeds of up to 310 km/h ( 193 mph ) . Alta Velocidad Española translates to Spanish High Speed , but the initials are also a play on the word ave , meaning bird . As of August 2017 , the Spanish AVE system is the longest HSR network in Europe with 3,240 km ( 2,010 mi ) and the second longest in the world , after China 's . AVE trains run on a network of high-speed rail track owned and managed by ADIF ( Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ) , where other high-speed ( Avant [ es ] , Alvia , Avlo ) and mid-speed ( Altaria ) services also operate . The first line was opened in 1992 , connecting the cities of Madrid , Córdoba and Seville . Unlike the rest of the Iberian broad gauge network , the AVE uses standard gauge . This permits direct connections to outside Spain through the link to the French network at the Perthus tunnel . AVE trains are operated by RENFE , but private companies may be allowed to operate trains in the future using other brands , in accordance with European Union legislation . Some TGV-derived trains used to run on the broad-gauge network at slower speeds , but these were branded separately as Euromed until new rolling stock was commissioned for these services .
Alvia is a high-speed train in Spain used by Renfe Operadora for long-distance service with a top speed of 250 km/h . The trains have the ability to use both Iberian gauge and standard gauge , which allows them to travel on the recently constructed high-speed lines for part of the journey before switching to the ″classic″ Iberian gauge network to complete it . Trains that run exclusively on high-speed tracks are branded AVE or Avant .
Rail transport in Sweden uses a network of 13,000 km of track , the 22nd largest in the world . Construction of the first railway line in Sweden began in 1855 . The major operator of passenger trains is the state-owned SJ AB . In 1988 , prompted by SJ 's large deficits , the Swedish parliament privatized the network by ordering that the ownership of rail infrastructure be separated from the ownership of train operations , and opened up the system to private sector train operators by introducing competitive tendering for local rail service contracts . Unlike the roads , railways in Sweden use left handed traffic for the trains ( same as metro ) , because Sweden drove on the left until 1967 , but railways did not switch traffic due to extremely high cost . Only railways in Malmö and further south use RHT due to connection with Denmark . Sweden is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Sweden is 74 .
Turkey has a well-developed , state-owned railway system built to standard gauge ( 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) ) which falls under the remit of the Ministry of Transport and Communication . The primary rail carrier is the Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları ( TCDD ) ( Turkish State Railways ) which is responsible for all long-distance and cross-border freight and passenger trains . A number of other companies operate suburban passenger trains in urban conurbations . Native railway industry extends to the production of locomotives , passenger vehicles and freight wagons ; some vehicles are also produced through licensing agreements and cooperation with foreign countries . In the early 21st century , major infrastructural projects were realized ; such as the construction of a high-speed railway network as well as a tunnel under the Bosphorus strait which connects Europe and Anatolia by rail for the first time . Turkey is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Turkey is 75 .
Rail transportation in the United States consists primarily of freight shipments , while passenger service , once a large and vital part of the nation 's passenger transportation network , plays a limited role as compared to transportation patterns in many other countries .
The Uruguayan railway network has about 2900 km ( 1802 mi ) of lines , all of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) gauge , diesel traction with only 11 km ( 7 mi ) of double track . Only half of the network is currently active . All the Uruguayan lines start from Montevideo , connecting the cities of Paysandú , Salto , Rivera and Río Branco . The rest of the lines ( closed ) connected the capital city with Fray Bentos , Cuareim , Artigas , Km . 329 , Melo , La Paloma and Colonia del Sacramento .
The State Railways Institution ( Spanish : Instituto de Ferrocarriles del Estado , or IFE ) is a state-run organization of Venezuela that manages the railway systems of the country . Its headquarters are located in Caracas , Venezuela . According to the 1999 Constitution , its renovation is a national priority . The new infrastructure which has been added includes the first new above-ground train line constructed in Venezuela for more than 70 years , the Ezequiel Zamora Mass Transportation System . Named after the soldier Ezequiel Zamora , it was inaugurated on October 15 , 2006 , by President Hugo Chávez .
Gautrain is an 80-kilometre ( 50-mile ) commuter rail system in Gauteng , South Africa , which links Johannesburg , Tshwane , Ekurhuleni and OR Tambo International Airport . The service offers a fast , convenient , safe and efficient public transport service . It takes 15 minutes to travel from Sandton to OR Tambo International Airport on the Gautrain and 35 minutes from Pretoria in Tshwane to Park Station in Johannesburg . Buses , shuttles and midibus services are available to transport passengers to and from all stations excluding the OR Tambo International Airport Station . A cash-free ticketing system and the use of reloadable smart cards , the Gautrain Card makes travelling on the Gautrain quick and convenient . Passengers can buy their Gautrain Cards at any Gautrain Station as well as approved service outlets . Europay , Mastercard and Visa contactless cards are also usable on Gautrain Gautrain connects people , places of interest and business and creates a seamless connection between economic nodes and public transport corridors .
Railways with a railway track gauge of 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) were first constructed in the United Kingdom and the United States . This gauge is also commonly called Russian gauge because this gauge was later chosen as the common track gauge for the Russian Empire and its neighbouring countries . The gauge was redefined by Soviet Railways to be 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) . The primary region where Russian gauge is used is the former Soviet Union ( CIS states , Baltic states , Georgia and Ukraine ) , Mongolia and Finland , with about 225,000 km ( 140,000 mi ) of track . Russian gauge is the second most common gauge in the world , after 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) standard gauge .
South Caucasus Railway ( Armenian : Հարավկովկասյան երկաթուղի , Russian : Южно-Кавказская железная дорога ) is a rail operator in Armenia , owned by Russian Railways .
Rail transport in Azerbaijan is operated by the national state-owned railway company Azerbaijan Railways ( Azerbaijani : Azərbaycanda Dəmiryolu ) . The railway network consists of 2,918 km ( 1,813 mi ) , its gauge is 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) ( Russian broad gauge ) , 815 km ( 506 mi ) are double track and 1,272 km ( 790 mi ) are electrified at 3 kV ( 3,000 V ) DC . Azerbaijan 's location and infrastructure have contributed to the vibrant transport sector of the country . Railways take up 16.7% of Azerbaijan 's freight traffic flows . Throughout 2005-2009 , a massive railway modernisation programme was initiated . Expansions costing $ 795 million were announced in 2012 to respond to the growing demand for rail transport in the country . Also Stadler Rail and local partner International Railway Distribution LLC announced the formation of a 51:49 joint venture on July 17 , 2014 .
Rail transport in Belarus is owned by the national rail company BŽD / BČ ( be : Bielaruskaja Čyhunka / ru : Belorusskaja Železnaja Doroga ) . The railway network consists of 5,512 km , its gauge is 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) ( Russian broad gauge ) and 874 km are electrified .
The Finnish railway network consists of a total of 5,919 km of railways built with 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ) Russian gauge track . Passenger trains are operated by the state-owned VR . They serve all the major cities and many rural areas , though railway connections are available to fewer places than bus connections . Most passenger train services originate or terminate at Helsinki Central railway station , and a large proportion of the passenger rail network radiates out of Helsinki . VR also operates freight services . Maintenance and construction of the railway network itself is the responsibility of the Finnish Rail Administration , which is a part of the Finnish Transport Agency ( Finnish : Väylävirasto ) . The network is divided in six areal centres , that manage the use and maintenance of the routes in co-operation . Cargo yards and large stations may have their own signalling systems . Finnish trains have a reputation for being spacious , comfortable and clean . [ citation needed ] The scenery surrounding the railway lines is considered to be of outstanding natural beauty , especially in Eastern Finland with its many lakes . Because in most parts of Finland the density of population is low , Finland is not very well suited for railways . Commuter services are nowadays rare outside the Helsinki area , but there are express train connections between most of the cities .
The rail transport system in Estonia consists of about 1,200 kilometres ( 750 mi ) of railway lines , of which 900 kilometres ( 560 mi ) are currently in public use . The infrastructure of the railway network is mostly owned by the state and is regulated and surveyed by the Estonian Technical Surveillance Authority ( Estonian : Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet ) . All public railways in Estonia are 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) ( Russian gauge ) , the same as in Russia , Belarus , Latvia , and Lithuania . The 1,520 mm gauge used in Estonia is also compatible with Finland 's 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ) gauge . Sometimes it is defined to be 1,524 mm ( see Rail gauge in Estonia ) , for example when buying track maintenance or vehicles from Finland . Railways in Estonia today are used mostly for freight transport , but also for passenger traffic , with 7.3 million passengers reported in 2017 . Passenger transport is most frequent near Tallinn , centred on the main Balti jaam .
Georgian Railway LLC ( Georgian : საქართველოს რკინიგზა , translit . : sakartvelos rk'inigza ) is the national railway company of Georgia . A vital artery linking the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea , it sits on the shortest route between Europe and Central Asia . Built to 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) standard Russian gauge , at present the fully electrified mainline of the Georgian Railway is 1,323.9 km ( total : 1,576 km ) in length , consisting of 1,422 bridges , 32 tunnels , 22 passenger and 114 goods stations . In 2017 , Georgian Railways passenger ridership was 2,684,000 , of which only 100,000 were domestic passengers , the rest international .
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy ( KTZ ; Kazakh : Qazaqstan Temir Joly ( QTJ ) ) , also National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy , is the national railway company of Kazakhstan .
The Kyrgyz Railway ( KTJ ) is the national railway developer of Kyrgyzstan .
Rail transport in Latvia is done on 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) Russian gauge . The main railway company is the state-owned Latvijas dzelzceļš , with its subsidiary Pasažieru vilciens providing passenger services . Historically Latvia had lot of different rail gauges , most notably 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) standard gauge and 750 mm ( 2 ft 5 1⁄2 in ) narrow gauge . The Rail Baltica project aims to connect Latvia and the other Baltic states to the European standard gauge .
Calea Ferată din Moldova ( abbreviated as CFM ) is the sole railway operator in the Republic of Moldova , responsible for passenger and cargo transportation , as well as railway infrastructure maintenance within the country . The total length of the network managed by CFM ( as of 2009 ) is 1,232 kilometres ( 766 mi ) , of which 1,218 kilometres ( 757 mi ) are 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) ( broad gauge ) , and 14 kilometres ( 8.7 mi ) are 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) ( standard gauge ) . The entire network is single track and is not electrified . It borders the Romanian railway network , with a 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) /1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) break-of-gauge in the west , and the Ukrainian one in the east . Calea Ferată din Moldova ( literally Railway of Moldova in Romanian ) came into existence in 1991 as the successor to the former MŽD , a subdivision of SŽD , the Railway system of the Soviet Union .
Rail transport in Mongolia is an important means of travel in the landlocked country of Mongolia , which has relatively few paved roads . According to official statistics , rail transport carried 93% of Mongolian freight and 43% of passenger turnover in 2007 . The Mongolian rail system employs 12,500 people . The national operator is UBTZ ( Ulaanbataar Railway , Mongolian : Улаанбаатар төмөр зам ) , traditionally also known as Mongolian Railway ( MTZ , Mongolian : Монголын төмөр зам ) . This can be a source of confusion , since MTZ is a distinct company established in 2008 . The Mongolian Railway College is located in Ulaanbaatar .
Rail transport in Russia runs on one of the biggest railway networks in the world . Russian railways are the third longest by length and third by volume of freight hauled , after the railways of the United States and China . In overall density of operations ( freight ton-kilometers + passenger-kilometers ) /length of track , Russia is second only to China . Rail transport in Russia has been described as one of the economic wonders of the 19th , 20th , and 21st centuries . JSC Russian Railways has a near-monopoly on long-distance train travel in Russia , with a 90% market share . Independent long-distance carriers include Grand Service Express TC , Tverskoy Express , TransClassService , Sakhalin Passenger Company , Kuzbass Suburb , and Yakutian Railway .
Rail transport in Tajikistan is limited , as the railroad system totals only 680 kilometres ( 420 mi ) of non-electrified , single-track railway , all of it 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 27⁄32 in ) broad gauge . The system connects the main urban centers of western Tajikistan with points in neighboring Uzbekistan . In 1999 a new line connected the southern cities of Qurghonteppa and Kulob . In 2016 , another line connected both cities to the capital Dushanbe , thus linking southern and central railway networks together . The northern branch around Khujand remains physically disconnected from this main tajik railway network , accessible only through a lengthy transit via Uzbekistan . As of 2017 , the passenger service remains limited to infrequent international trains from Dushanbe and Khujand to Moscow , one weekly train from Dushanbe to Khujand ( via Uzbekistan ) as well as a local service between Dushanbe and Pakhtaabad ( daily ) and Kulyob/Shahrtuz ( twice weekly ) .
Turkmenistan has 4,980 kilometres ( 3,090 mi ) of railways ( 37th largest in the world ) . The railway operator is the state owned company Türkmendemirýollary ( Turkmen Railways ) . The company belongs to the Ministry of Railways of Turkmenistan .
Rail transport in Ukraine is a mode of transport by railway in Ukraine .
Rail transport in Uzbekistan . As of March 2017 , the total length of Uzbekistan 's main railway network is 4,669 km ( 2,446 km of which is electrified ) . A large percentage of the systems track requires major repair . The main line is the portion of the Transcaspian Railroad that connects Tashkent with the Amu Darya . There are rail links with Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan ( see Trans-Caspian Railway ) , Tajikistan , Afghanistan , and Turkmenistan . Suburban traffic only exists around Tashkent .
Railways with track gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) are broad-gauge railways , currently in use in Australia , Brazil and Ireland .
Rail transport in Ireland ( InterCity , commuter and freight ) is provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland . Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin . Northern Ireland has suburban routes from Belfast and two main InterCity lines , to Derry and cross-border to Dublin . The accompanying map of the current railway network shows lines that are fully operational ( in red ) , carrying freight only traffic ( in black ) and with dotted black lines those which have been mothballed ( i.e . closed to traffic but potentially easy to re-open ) . Some airports are indicated but none are rail-connected , although Kerry Airport and Belfast City Airport are within walking distance of a railway station . Both the City of Derry Airport and Belfast International ( Aldergrove ) are near railway lines but not connected . Ports are marked , although few remain rail-connected . Larne Harbour , Belview Port and Rosslare Europort are ports that are still connected . Ireland 's only light rail service , named Luas , is in Dublin . No metro lines currently exist in Ireland , but there is a planned MetroLink line which would serve Dublin .
Rail transport in Ireland ( InterCity , commuter and freight ) is provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland . Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin . Northern Ireland has suburban routes from Belfast and two main InterCity lines , to Derry and cross-border to Dublin . The accompanying map of the current railway network shows lines that are fully operational ( in red ) , carrying freight only traffic ( in black ) and with dotted black lines those which have been mothballed ( i.e . closed to traffic but potentially easy to re-open ) . Some airports are indicated but none are rail-connected , although Kerry Airport and Belfast City Airport are within walking distance of a railway station . Both the City of Derry Airport and Belfast International ( Aldergrove ) are near railway lines but not connected . Ports are marked , although few remain rail-connected . Larne Harbour , Belview Port and Rosslare Europort are ports that are still connected . Ireland 's only light rail service , named Luas , is in Dublin . No metro lines currently exist in Ireland , but there is a planned MetroLink line which would serve Dublin .
Rail transport in Brazil began in the 19th century and there were many different railway companies . The railways were nationalised under RFFSA ( Rede Ferroviária Federal , Sociedade Anônima ) in 1957 . Between 1999 and 2007 , RFFSA was broken up and services are now operated by a variety of private and public operators , including América Latina Logística , Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos and SuperVia .
Iberian-gauge railways ( Spanish : ancho ibérico , trocha ibérica , Portuguese : bitola ibérica ) is the name given to the railways using track gauge of 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 21⁄32 in ) , most extensively used by the railways of Spain and Portugal . This is the second-widest gauge in regular use anywhere in the World . The Indian gauge , 5 ft 6 in ( 1,676 mm ) , is 8 mm ( 5⁄16 in ) wider . As finally established in 1955 , the Iberian gauge is a compromise between the similar , but slightly different , gauges adopted as respective national standards in Spain and Portugal in the mid-19th century . The main railway networks of Spain were initially constructed to a 1,672 mm ( 5 ft 5 13⁄16 in ) gauge of six Castilian feet . Those of Portugal were instead built to a 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in ) and later railways to a 1,664 mm ( 5 ft 5 1⁄2 in ) gauge of five Portuguese feet - close enough to allow interoperability with Spanish railways .
Several companies provide rail transport in Portugal .
5 ft 6 in / 1,676 mm , a broad gauge , is the track gauge used in India , Pakistan , western Bangladesh , Sri Lanka , Argentina , Chile , and on BART ( Bay Area Rapid Transit ) in the San Francisco Bay Area . In North America , it is called Provincial , Portland , or Texas gauge . In Argentina , it is known as trocha ancha ( Spanish for broad gauge ) . In the Indian Subcontinent it is simply known as broad gauge . Elsewhere it is known as Indian gauge . It is the widest gauge in regular passenger use anywhere in the world .
Pakistan Railways ( reporting mark PR ) ( Urdu : پاکستان ریلویز ) is the national , state-owned railway company of Pakistan . Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore , it owns 4,800 miles ( 7,791 km ) of track across Pakistan from Torkham to Karachi and operates freight and passenger service . Pakistan Railways was also known as the Pakistan Western Railway from 1947 to 1974 . In 2014 the Ministry of Railways launched Pakistan Railways Vision 2026 , which seeks to increase the company 's share of the transportation sector from four to 20 percent with the ₨886.68 billion ( US $ 6.3 billion ) China-Pakistan Economic Corridor rail upgrade . The plan includes new locomotives , development and improvement of current rail infrastructure , an increase in average train speed , improved on-time performance and expansion of passenger service . The first phase of the project was completed in 2017 , and the second phase is scheduled for completion by 2021 . Pakistan Railways is an active member of the International Union of Railways . In the 2018/19 financial year , Pakistan Railways served 70 million passengers .
Bangladesh Railway ( Bengali : বাংলাদেশ রেলওয়ে ) also known as Bangla Rail is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh . It operates and maintains all railways in the country , and is overseen by the Directorate General of Bangladesh Railway . The Bangladesh Railway is governed by the Ministry of Railways and the Bangladesh Railway Authority . Its reporting mark is BR . The Bangladesh Railway system has a total length of 2,855 route km . In 2009 , Bangladesh Railway had 34,168 employees . In 2014 , Bangladesh Railway carried 65 million passengers and 2.52 million tonnes of freight . The railway made 8,135 million passenger-kilometres and 677 million tonne-kilometres .
Rail transport in Sri Lanka was conceived in the 1850s to develop and unify Sri Lanka . Service began in 1864 , with the construction of the Main Line from Colombo to Ambepussa 54 kilometres ( 34 mi ) to the east . During the first half of the 20th century a tram system operated in Colombo , carrying commuters within the city . It is an intercity network connecting major population centres and commuter rail serving Colombo commuters , with most services being run by Sri Lanka Railways , originally known as Ceylon Government Railways , as the nation 's railway and primary operator . The railway now moves 300,000 passengers daily on 324 trains between 320 stations across the country . At a peak of 1,900 metres ( 6,200 ft ) , Sri Lanka has the most elevated broad-gauge railway in the world .
Bay Area Rapid Transit ( BART ) is a rapid transit public transportation system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California . The heavy rail elevated and subway system connects San Francisco and Oakland with urban and suburban areas in Alameda , Contra Costa , and San Mateo counties . BART serves 48 stations along six routes on 112 miles ( 180 km ) of rapid transit lines , including a 10-mile ( 16 km ) spur line in eastern Contra Costa County which utilizes diesel multiple-unit trains and a 3.2-mile ( 5.1 km ) automated guideway transit line to the Oakland International Airport . With an average of 411,000 weekday passengers and 118 million annual passengers in fiscal year 2019 , BART is the fifth-busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in the United States . BART is operated by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District , formed in 1957 . The initial system opened in stages from 1972 to 1974 . The Silicon Valley BART Extension is scheduled to open in Milpitas and Berryessa ( San Jose ) in 2020 , in partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority ( VTA ) .
The San Francisco Bay Area , popularly referred to as the Bay Area or simply the Bay , is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco , San Pablo , and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California . Although the exact boundaries of the region vary depending on the source , the Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Governments to include the nine counties that border the aforementioned estuaries : Alameda , Contra Costa , Marin , Napa , San Mateo , Santa Clara , Solano , Sonoma , and San Francisco . Other sources may exclude parts of or even entire counties , or expand the definition to include neighboring counties that do not border the bay such as San Benito , San Joaquin , and Santa Cruz . Home to approximately 7.75 million people , Northern California 's nine-county Bay Area contains many cities , towns , airports , and associated regional , state , and national parks , connected by a complex multimodal transportation network . The larger combined statistical area of the region , which includes fourteen counties , is the second-largest in California ( after the Greater Los Angeles area ) , the fifth-largest in the United States , and the 41st-largest urban area in the world with 9.67 million people . The Bay Area 's population is ethnically diverse : for example , roughly half of the region 's residents are Hispanic , Asian , African American , or Pacific Islander , all of whom have a significant presence throughout the region . The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlements in the Bay Area dates back to 8000-10,000 BC ( from shell mounds in the Coyote Hills ) . In 1769 , the Bay Area was inhabited by the Ohlone people when a Spanish exploration party led by Gaspar de Portolà entered the Bay - the first documented European visit to the Bay Area . After Mexico established independence from Spain in 1821 , the region was briefly controlled by the Mexican government until the United States purchased the territory in 1846 during the Mexican-American War . Soon after , discovery of gold in California attracted a flood of treasure seekers , many using ports in the Bay Area as an entry point . During the early years of California 's statehood , state legislative business rotated between three locations in the Bay Area before a permanent state capital was established in Sacramento . A major earthquake leveled the city of San Francisco and environs in 1906 , but the region quickly rebuilt in time to host the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition .