| Field Listing :: Railways |
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This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge, which is the measure of the distance between the inner sides of the load-bearing rails. The four typical types of gauges are: broad, standard, narrow, and dual. Other gauges are listed under note. Some 60% of the world's railways use the standard gauge of 1.4 m (4.7 ft). Gauges vary by country and sometimes within countries. The choice of gauge during initial construction was mainly in response to local conditions and the intent of the builder. Narrow-gauge railways were cheaper to build and could negotiate sharper curves, broad-gauge railways gave greater stability and permitted higher speeds. Standard-gauge railways were a compromise between narrow and broad gauges. |
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Country Comparison to the World
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| Albania
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total: 339 km
standard gauge: 339 km 1.435-m gauge (2009)
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| Algeria
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total: 3,973 km
standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2008)
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| Angola
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total: 2,764 km
narrow gauge: 2,641 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2008)
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| Argentina
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total: 36,966 km
broad gauge: 26,475 km 1.676-m gauge (94 km electrified)
standard gauge: 2,780 km 1.435-m gauge (42 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 7,711 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Armenia
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total: 869 km
broad gauge: 869 km 1.520-m gauge (818 km electrified)
note: some lines are out of service (2009)
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| Australia
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total: 38,445 km
broad gauge: 3,355 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 21,674 km 1.435-m gauge (650 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 9,539 km 1.067-m gauge (2,067 km electrified); 3,877 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Austria
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total: 6,399 km
standard gauge: 5,927 km 1.435-m gauge (3,853 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 384 km 1.000-m gauge (15 km electrified); 88 km 0.760-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2008)
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| Azerbaijan
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total: 2,918 km
broad gauge: 2,918 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2009)
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| Bangladesh
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total: 2,622 km
broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,676 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Belarus
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total: 5,537 km
broad gauge: 5,512 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
standard gauge: 25 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
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| Belgium
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total: 3,233 km
standard gauge: 3,233 km 1.435-m gauge (2,950 km electrified) (2008)
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| Benin
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total: 438 km
narrow gauge: 438 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Bolivia
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total: 3,652 km
narrow gauge: 3,652 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)
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| Botswana
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total: 888 km
narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
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| Brazil
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total: 28,538 km
broad gauge: 5,627 km 1.600-m gauge (467 km electrified)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
narrow gauge: 22,717 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Bulgaria
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total: 4,152 km
standard gauge: 4,072 km 1.435-m gauge (2,863 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 80 km 0.760-m gauge (2011)
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| Burkina Faso
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total: 622 km
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge
note: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote d'Ivoire (2008)
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| Burma
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total: 5,031 km
narrow gauge: 5,031 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Cambodia
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total: 690 km
narrow gauge: 690 km 1.000-m gauge
note: under restoration (2010)
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| Cameroon
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total: 1,245 km
narrow gauge: 1,245 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Canada
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total: 46,552 km
standard gauge: 46,552 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
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| Chile
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total: 7,082 km
broad gauge: 3,435 km 1.676-m gauge (850 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 3,647 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| China
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total: 86,000 km
standard gauge: 86,000 km 1.435-m gauge (36,000 km electrified) (2008)
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| Christmas Island
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total: 18 km
standard gauge: 18 km 1.435-m (not in operation) (2010)
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| Colombia
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total: 874 km
standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 498 km 0.950-m gauge; 226 km 0.914-m gauge (2008)
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| Costa Rica
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total: 278 km
narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge
note: none of the railway network is in use (2008)
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| Cote d'Ivoire
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total: 660 km
narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-m gauge
note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2008)
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| Croatia
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total: 2,722 km
standard gauge: 2,722 km 1.435-m gauge (984 km electrified) (2011)
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| Cuba
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total: 8,203 km
standard gauge: 8,134 km 1.435-m gauge (124 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 69 km 1.000-m gauge
note: 48 km of standard gauge track is not for public use (2011)
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| Czech Republic
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total: 9,469 km
standard gauge: 9,449 km 1.435-m gauge (3,165 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 20 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)
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| Denmark
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total: 2,667 km
standard gauge: 2,667 km 1.435-m gauge (640 km electrified) (2008)
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| Djibouti
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total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is largely inoperable (2008)
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| Ecuador
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total: 965 km
narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
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| Egypt
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total: 5,083 km
standard gauge: 5,083 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2009)
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| El Salvador
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total: 283 km
narrow gauge: 283 km 0.600-m gauge
note: railways have been inoperable since 2005 because of disuse and high costs that led to a lack of maintenance (2008)
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| Eritrea
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total: 306 km
narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2008)
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| Estonia
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total: 1,196 km
broad gauge: 1,196 km 1.520-m and 1.524-m gauge (133 km electrified) (2011)
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| Ethiopia
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total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is largely inoperable (2008)
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| Fiji
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total: 597 km
narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge
note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during the harvest season, which runs from May to December (2008)
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| Finland
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total: 5,944 km
broad gauge: 5,944 km 1.524-m gauge (3,067 km electrified) (2013)
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| France
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total: 29,640 km
standard gauge: 29,473 km 1.435-m gauge (15,361 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (63 km electrified) (2008)
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| Gabon
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total: 649 km
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
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| Georgia
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total: 1,612 km
broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 km electrified) (2008)
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| Germany
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total: 41,981 km
standard gauge: 41,722 km 1.435-m gauge (20,053 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 220 km 1.000-m gauge (75 km electrified); 39 km 0.750-m gauge (24 km electrified) (2008)
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| Ghana
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total: 947 km
narrow gauge: 947 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
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| Greece
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total: 2,548 km
standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)
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| Guatemala
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total: 332 km
narrow gauge: 332 km 0.914-m gauge (2008)
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| Guinea
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total: 1,185 km
standard gauge: 238 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 947 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Honduras
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total: 44 km
narrow gauge: 44 km 1.067-m gauge
note: (4 km are in use) (2012)
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| Hungary
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total: 8,057 km
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,802 km 1.435-m gauge (2,911 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2009)
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| India
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total: 63,974 km
broad gauge: 54,257 km 1.676-m gauge (18,927 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 7,180 km 1.000-m gauge; 2,537 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2009)
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| Indonesia
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total: 5,042 km
narrow gauge: 5,042 km 1.067-m gauge (565 km electrified) (2008)
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| Iran
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total: 8,442 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 8,348 km 1.435-m gauge (148 km electrified) (2008)
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| Iraq
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total: 2,370 km
standard gauge: 2,370 km 1.435-m gauge (2012)
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| Ireland
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total: 3,237 km
broad gauge: 1,872 km 1.600-m gauge (37 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants) (2008)
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| Isle of Man
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total: 63 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.076-m gauge (6 km electrified); 57 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified)
note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2008)
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| Israel
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total: 975 km
standard gauge: 975 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
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| Italy
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total: 20,255 km
standard gauge: 18,611 km 1.435-m gauge (12,662 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1,290 km 0.950-m gauge (151 km electrified); 231 km 0.850-m gauge (2008)
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| Japan
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total: 27,182 km
standard gauge: 4,251 km 1.435-m gauge (4,251 km electrified)
dual gauge: 486 km 1.435-1.067-m gauge (486 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.372-m gauge (96 km electrified); 22,301 km 1.067-m gauge (15,222 km electrified); 48 km 0.762-m gauge (48 km electrified) (2009)
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| Jordan
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total: 507 km
narrow gauge: 507 km 1.050-m gauge (2008)
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| Kazakhstan
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total: 15,333 km
broad gauge: 15,333 km 1.520-m gauge (4,000 km electrified) (2012)
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| Kenya
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total: 2,066 km
narrow gauge: 2,066 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Korea, North
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total: 5,242 km
standard gauge: 5,242 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2009)
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| Korea, South
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total: 3,381 km
standard gauge: 3,381 km 1.435-m gauge (1,843 km electrified) (2008)
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| Kosovo
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total: 430 km
standard gauge: 430 km 1.435-m gauge (2007)
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| Kyrgyzstan
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total: 470 km
broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2008)
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| Latvia
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total: 2,239 km
broad gauge: 2,206 km 1.520-m gauge
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)
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| Lebanon
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total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m gauge
note: rail system unusable because of the damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2008)
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| Liberia
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total: 429 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
note: most sections of the railways were inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil wars from 1980 to 2003, but many are being rebuilt (2008)
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| Liechtenstein
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total: 9 km
standard gauge: 9 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified)
note: belongs to the Austrian Railway System connecting Austria and Switzerland (2008)
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| Lithuania
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total: 1,767 km
broad gauge: 1,745 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)
standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2011)
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| Luxembourg
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total: 275 km
standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (243 km electrified) (2008)
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| Macedonia
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total: 699 km
standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (234 km electrified) (2012)
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| Madagascar
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total: 854 km
narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Malawi
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total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
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| Malaysia
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total: 1,849 km
standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,792 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2010)
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| Mali
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total: 593 km
narrow gauge: 593 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Mauritania
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728 km
standard gauge: 728 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
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| Mexico
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total: 17,166 km
standard gauge: 17,166 km 1.435-m gauge (22 km electrified) (2008)
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| Moldova
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total: 1,190 km
broad gauge: 1,176 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
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| Mongolia
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total: 1,908 km
broad gauge: 1,908 km 1.520-m gauge
note: the railway is 50 percent owned by the Russian State Railway (2010)
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| Montenegro
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total: 250 km
standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (169 km electrified) (2010)
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| Morocco
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total: 2,067 km
standard gauge: 2,067 km 1.435-m gauge (1,022 km electrified) (2008)
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| Mozambique
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total: 4,787 km
narrow gauge: 4,787 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
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| Namibia
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total: 2,626 km
narrow gauge: 2,626 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
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| Nepal
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total: 59 km
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2008)
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| Netherlands
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total: 3,013 km
standard gauge: 3,013 km 1.435-m gauge (2,195 km electrified) (2012)
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| New Zealand
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total: 4,128 km
narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2008)
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| Nigeria
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total: 3,505 km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
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| Norway
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total: 4,237 km
standard gauge: 4,237 km 1.435-m gauge (2,784 km electrified) (2012)
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| Pakistan
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total: 7,791 km
broad gauge: 7,479 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 312 km 1.000-m gauge (2007)
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| Panama
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total: 76 km
standard gauge: 76 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
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| Paraguay
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total: 36 km
standard gauge: 36 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
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| Peru
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total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,772 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 135 km 0.914-m gauge (2012)
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| Philippines
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total: 995 km
narrow gauge: 995 km 1.067-m gauge (484 km are in operation) (2010)
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| Poland
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total: 19,428 km
broad gauge: 399 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 19,029 km 1.435-m gauge (11,805 km electrified) (2007)
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| Portugal
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total: 3,319 km
broad gauge: 2,700 km 1.668-m gauge (1,436 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 192 km 1.000-m gauge; 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2008)
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| Romania
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total: 10,777 km
broad gauge: 134 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 10,639 km 1.435-m gauge (4,020 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 4 km 1.000-m gauge (2012)
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| Russia
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total: 87,157 km
broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)
note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve industries (2006)
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| Saudi Arabia
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total: 1,378 km
standard gauge: 1,378 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2008)
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| Senegal
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total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Serbia
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total: 3,809 km
standard gauge: 3,809 km 1.435-m gauge (1,279 km electrified) (2010)
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| Slovakia
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total: 3,622 km
broad gauge: 99 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 3,473 km 1.435-m gauge (1,615 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 50 km 1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge (2008)
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| Slovenia
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total: 1,228 km
standard gauge: 1,228 km 1.435-m gauge (503 km electrified) (2007)
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| South Africa
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total: 20,192 km
narrow gauge: 19,756 km 1.065-m gauge (8,271 km electrified); 122 km 0.750-m gauge; 314 km 0.610-m gauge (2008)
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| South Sudan
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248 km; note - a narrow guage, single-track railroad between Babonosa (Sudan) and Wau, the only existing rail system, was repaired in 2010 with $250 million in United Nations funds (2014)
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| Spain
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total: 15,293 km
broad gauge: 11,919 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km electrified)
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (1,054 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,954 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (2008)
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| Sri Lanka
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total: 1,449 km
broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2007)
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| Sudan
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total: 5,978 km
narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2008)
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| Swaziland
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total: 301 km
narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
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| Sweden
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total: 11,633 km
standard gauge: 11,568 km 1.435-m gauge (7,567 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 65 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) (2008)
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| Switzerland
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total: 4,876 km
standard gauge: 3,846 km 1.435-m gauge (3,591 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,020 km 1.000-m gauge (1,013 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2008)
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| Syria
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total: 2,052 km
standard gauge: 1,801 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2008)
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| Taiwan
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total: 1,580 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge (345 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified); 150 km 0.762-m gauge
note: the 0.762 gauge track belongs to three entities, the Forestry Bureau, Taiwan Cement, and TaiPower (2009)
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| Tajikistan
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total: 680 km
broad gauge: 680 km 1.520-m gauge (2008)
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| Tanzania
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total: 3,689 km
narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,720 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Thailand
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total: 4,071 km
standard gauge: 29 km 1.435-m gauge (29 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 4,042 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Togo
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total: 568 km
narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Tunisia
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total: 2,165 km (1,991 in use)
standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,694 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) (2011)
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| Turkey
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total: 12,008 km
standard gauge: 12,008 km 1.435-m gauge (3,216 km electrified) (2012)
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| Turkmenistan
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total: 2,980 km
broad gauge: 2,980 km 1.520-m gauge (2008)
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| Uganda
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total: 1,244 km
narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| Ukraine
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total: 21,619 km
broad gauge: 21,619 km 1.524-m gauge (10,242 km electrified) (2012)
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| United Kingdom
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total: 16,454 km
broad gauge: 303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland)
standard gauge: 16,151 km 1.435-m gauge (5,248 km electrified) (2008)
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| United States
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total: 224,792 km
standard gauge: 224,792 km 1.435-m gauge (2007)
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| Uruguay
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total: 1,641 km
standard gauge: 1,641 km 1.435-m gauge (1,200 km operational) (2010)
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| Uzbekistan
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total: 4,230 km
broad gauge: 4,200 km 1.520-m gauge (930 km electrified) (2012)
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| Venezuela
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total: 806 km
standard gauge: 806 km 1.435-m gauge (41 km electrified) (2008)
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| Vietnam
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total: 2,632 km
standard gauge: 527 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 2,105 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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| World
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total: 657,382 km (2013)
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| Zambia
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total: 2,922 km
narrow gauge: 2,157 km 1.067-m gauge
note: includes 1,860 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) (2013)
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| Zimbabwe
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total: 3,427 km
narrow gauge: 3,427 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2008)
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Central Intelligence Agency
