Why is Irish railway gauge that size?

It was at this point that Major-General Pasley discovered that the exact average between all three gauges was 5ft 3in, and so made his recommendation that this should be the standard gauge throughout Ireland, which was readily accepted by the Board of Trade. A brilliant example of a political compromise!



The unique Irish railway gauge of 5 feet 3 inches (1,600 mm) was established as a strategic compromise in 1843 to resolve a burgeoning "gauge war" between different rail companies on the island. Initially, the Ulster Railway was built to a broad 6' 2" gauge, while the Dublin and Drogheda Railway intended to use 5' 2", and the Dublin and Kingstown Railway used the British "Standard Gauge" of 4' 8½". When the need for an interconnected national network became apparent, the Board of Trade, advised by engineers Charles Pasley and George Stephenson, intervened to prevent a fragmented system. They settled on 5' 3" as a middle ground that provided more stability and power than the standard gauge while being more economical than the ultra-broad Ulster gauge. This standard was formalized by the Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846. Today, this "Irish Gauge" remains the standard for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and it is also found in parts of Australia (Victoria and South Australia) where it was later introduced by Irish engineers.

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