Rail Terminology With Respect To Rail Gauge
Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to the standard rail gauge where the distance between the inside edges of the rails of the track is 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (see the list of countries that use the standard gauge).
Narrow gauge railways have rail gauges of between 2 ft (610 mm) and 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm). They are cheaper to build and operate, but tend to be slower and have less capacity. Minimum gauge railway have a gauge of less than 2 ft (610 mm) or 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) and are primarily used as industrial railways rather than for passenger transit. However many miniature railways use this type of gauge. Broad gauge railways use a rail gauge greater than 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in).
Read more about this topic: Passenger Rail Terminology
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