Railways

Railways are a mode of land transport designed for moving bulky goods and passengers over long distances. The gauge — the distance between the two rails — varies across countries and is broadly classified into four types: broad gauge (more than 1.5 m), standard gauge (1.44 m), metre gauge (1 m), and smaller gauges. The standard gauge is used in the United Kingdom.

Commuter trains are a notable feature in the UK, USA, Japan, and India, carrying millions of passengers daily to and from cities. Worldwide, there are about 13 lakh km (1.3 million km) of railway lines open for traffic.

Europe has one of the densest rail networks in the world, with approximately 4,40,000 km of track, most of which is double or multiple-tracked. Belgium holds the highest density — 1 km of railway for every 6.5 sq km of area. Industrial regions show the highest densities. Major rail heads include London, Paris, Brussels, Milan, Berlin, and Warsaw. In many European countries, passenger transport is more important than freight. Underground railways are significant in London and Paris. The Channel Tunnel, operated by the Euro Tunnel Group, connects London with Paris. Trans-continental railway lines have lost their importance to quicker and more flexible systems like airways and roadways.

Russia relies heavily on railways, which account for about 90% of the country’s total transport. The network is very dense west of the Urals. Moscow is the most important rail head, with major lines radiating to different parts of the vast country. Underground railways and commuter trains are also important in Moscow.

North America has one of the most extensive rail networks, accounting for nearly 40% of the world’s total. Unlike Europe, railways here are used more for long-distance bulky freight — such as ores, grains, timber, and machinery — than for passengers. The densest network is in the highly industrialised and urbanised region of East Central USA and adjoining Canada. In Canada, railways are in the public sector and are distributed across sparsely populated areas. Transcontinental railways carry the bulk of wheat and coal tonnage.

Australia has about 40,000 km of railways, of which 25% are in New South Wales alone. The west-east Australian National Railway line runs from Perth to Sydney. New Zealand’s railways are mainly in the North Island, serving farming areas.

South America has its densest rail network in two regions: the Pampas of Argentina and the coffee-growing region of Brazil, which together account for 40% of the continent’s total route length. Among the remaining countries, only Chile has a considerable route length, linking coastal centres with mining sites in the interior. Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela have short single-track rail lines from ports to the interior, with no inter-connecting links. There is only one trans-continental rail route: it links Buenos Aires (Argentina) with Valparaiso (Chile) across the Andes Mountains through the Uspallatta Pass at a height of 3,900 m.

Asia has the densest rail network in the thickly populated areas of Japan, China, and India. Other countries have relatively few rail routes. West Asia is the least developed in rail facilities because of vast deserts and sparsely populated regions. …