Which countries use narrow gauge railway?

Narrow-gauge trams, particularly metre-gauge, are common in Europe. Non-industrial, narrow-gauge mountain railways are (or were) common in the Rocky Mountains of the United States and the Pacific Cordillera of Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Greece, and Costa Rica.



Narrow-gauge railways (tracks narrower than the 1,435mm "standard gauge") are still the backbone of many national networks in 2026. Japan is perhaps the most famous user, with most of its non-Shinkansen lines using the 1,067mm (3ft 6in) "Cape Gauge." South Africa, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Taiwan also use this same 1,067mm gauge for their primary national networks. In Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia predominantly use "Metre Gauge" (1,000mm). Many other countries use narrow gauge for specific purposes: Switzerland has an extensive network of narrow-gauge mountain railways (like the Rhaetian Railway) to handle steep gradients and tight curves. In India, while "Project Unigauge" has converted most lines to Broad Gauge, several historic "toy trains" like the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway remain narrow gauge. Other countries with significant narrow-gauge presence in 2026 include Bolivia, Ethiopia, and parts of Australia (specifically Queensland and Tasmania), where the smaller footprint was historically cheaper to build across rugged or vast terrain.

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Clearly, it is safe to assume that Japan's choice of the 3'6 narrow gauge was based more on the cheaper construction cost than on the demands of topography. Norway gradually replaced its narrow gauge track with standard gauge but Japan did not take this road because of economic and military considerations.

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Broad gauge of 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in), commonly known as Indian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Chile, and on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the widest gauge in common use anywhere in the world.

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If locomotives were imported from elsewhere, especially in the early days, the track would be built to fit them. In some cases standard gauge was adopted, but many countries or companies chose a different gauge as their national gauge, either by governmental policy, or as a matter of individual choice.

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In fact, it is known as the “Iberian gauge”. This can be traced back to 1844, when a group of technicians stated that, due to the Spanish and Portuguese orography, the width of the inner sides of the tracks had to be increased.

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Some other lines in Japan use 1,372 mm (4' 6”) or 762 mm (30”) gauge. But the majority, over 83% in terms of distance, of Japan's railways are built to Cape Gauge, 1,067 mm (3' 6”). The name comes from its adoption in 1873 by the Cape Colony (later part of the Union of South Africa).

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The standard Russian railway gauge of 1,524 mm quickly spread throughout the Russian Empire, reached Warsaw, Vladivostok, Murmansk, and Baku.

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With almost 200 years of history, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway is the world's oldest narrow gauge railway and takes you on a 13?-mile journey through beautiful Welsh countryside, from the harbour in Porthmadog to the slate-quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog.

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In the 19th century, each of the colonies of Australia adopted their own gauges. The three gauges of the Australian railway network as of 2022. With Federation in 1901 and the removal of trade barriers, the short sightedness of three gauges became apparent.

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The smallest rideable gauge is often cited as 2 1/2 inch (64mm) gauge railways, with the track elevated on stilts and the driver / passengers straddling the rolling stock with legs dangling either side.

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The Portuguese rail network primarily uses Iberian track gauge (1 668 mm). In November 2022, the Portuguese Government presented a National Rail Plan, which includes new lines, such as a new Lisbon-Porto high speed line, to be built using Iberian track gauge.

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Germany has rail links with the following countries. All are to countries of the same gauge (1435 mm), although electrification (15 kV AC 16.7 Hz) and other systems such as signalling may differ.

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In South America, Argentina and Chile use 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) track gauge, as well as 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3+3/8 in) or metre gauge.

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Finland uses 1524 mm (5') gauge since times when it was a part of the Russian Empire (1809–1917) and does not change it, rolling stock is cross-compatible with very minor limitations (Allegro trains between St.

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