Track gauge in South America

Track gauge
By transport mode
Tram Rapid transit Miniature Scale model
By size (list)
Minimum   Fifteen inch 381 mm (15 in) Narrow   600 mm Two foot 600 mm 610 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) (2 ft)   750 mm Bosnian gauge Two foot six inch 750 mm 760 mm 762 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) (2 ft 6 in)   Swedish three foot 900 mm Three foot 891 mm 900 mm 914 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) (3 ft)   Metre 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)   Three foot six inch 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)   Four foot zero inch 1,219 mm (4 ft 0 in)   Four foot six inch 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in)   Standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Broad   Dresden gauge 1,450 mm (4 ft 9+3⁄32 in)   Leipzig gauge 1,458 mm (4 ft 9+13⁄32 in)   Toronto gauge 1,495 mm (4 ft 10+7⁄8 in)   1520 mm Five foot 1,520 mm 1,524 mm (4 ft 11+7⁄8 in) (5 ft)   Pennsylvania gauge Pennsylvania gauge Five foot three inch 1,581 mm 1,588 mm 1,600 mm (5 ft 2+1⁄4 in) (5 ft 2+1⁄2 in) (5 ft 3 in)   Baltimore gauge 1,638 mm (5 ft 4+1⁄2 in)   Iberian gauge Five foot six inch 1,668 mm 1,676 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) (5 ft 6 in)
Change of gauge
Break of gauge Dual gauge Conversion (list) Bogie exchange Variable gauge
By location
North America South America Europe Australia
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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.

Brazil uses 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) (known as "Irish gauge", most common for passenger services and a few corridors in the Southeast) and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) (known as "narrow gauge" or "metre gauge", most common for cargo services). Exceptions are the Estrada de Ferro do Amapá north of the Amazon River, which has 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge, and the Lines 4 and 5 of São Paulo Metro, which also use standard gauge.

Argentina (partly), Venezuela, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Peru use standard gauge. In the past a few lines in Northern Chile also had standard gauge, as the only international railway between Arica (Chile) and Tacna (Peru), slightly more than 60 km, uses standard gauge. The El Cerrejón Coal Railway in Colombia is also 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in).

There are and were also some lines using different narrow gauges; see the "narrow gauge" section in this list.

See also[]

• Rail gauge in Europe
• Rail gauge in North America

References[]

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