Rail gauge in Afghanistan

Rail gauge in Afghanistan

Rail gauge in Afghanistan is at present undetermined, and presents several difficulties which have hampered the progress of transportation in that country.

Afghanistan is the cross-roads of Asia and yet is almost completely without railways. [ [http://www.ajg41.clara.co.uk/afghanistan.html Railways in Afghanistan] ]

There is less than 25 kilometres of railway inside the country, all of which is built to RailGauge|1524 broad gauge. For strategic reasons, past Afghan governments preferred to discourage the construction of railways which could aid foreign interference in Afghanistan by Britain or Russia. [ [http://www.ajg41.clara.co.uk/afghanistan.html Railways in Afghanistan, past and future] ]

Should it decide to build more than the two current short lines from the former USSR, the choice of gauge will be complicated by its being surrounded by three different gauges. Iran to the west uses standard gauge, as does China to the east; to the south, Pakistan uses RailGauge|1676 gauge, while to the north, the central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan use 1,520 mm gauge.

Afghanistan has a break-of-gauge problem at every border. The gauges used in adjacent countries are:
* Iran, China: RailGauge|1435
* Former Soviet republics: RailGauge|1524
* Pakistan: RailGauge|1676

Current plans are to extend neighbouring railways and gauges into Afghanistan. In the long term this would leave the country with a mixed system that aids cross-border traffic but hinders internal traffic. Dual gauge track is feasible between RailGauge|1435 and RailGauge|1676, however RailGauge|1524 gauge is too close to the other two to support dual gauge except by using 4 rails.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rail gauge in Hong Kong — In Hong Kong, the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), which currently runs East Rail, West Rail and Light Rail uses 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in). The Mass Transit Railway uses… …   Wikipedia

  • Dual gauge — Track gauge by size Broad gauge Sta …   Wikipedia

  • Rail transport in the People's Republic of China — See also: China Railways Logo for China Railways …   Wikipedia

  • Rail transport in Malaysia — KL Monorail in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Rail transport in Malaysia comprises heavy rail (including high speed rail), light rail transit (LRT), monorail and a funicular railway line. Heavy rail is mostly used for intercity passenger and freight… …   Wikipedia

  • Rail transport in Lebanon — Map of the Lebanese rail network when it was in operation. Beirut main …   Wikipedia

  • Transport in Afghanistan — Landlocked Afghanistan has almost no railways, but the Amu Darya (Oxus) River, which forms part of Afghanistan s border with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, has barge traffic. During their occupation of the country, the Soviets… …   Wikipedia

  • 2008 in rail transport — Events By month January events February events * ndash; opening of Santo Domingo Metro. * February 27 ndash; National Express Group changes the name of English railway operating company one to National Express East Anglia as part of a company… …   Wikipedia

  • History of rail transport in Pakistan — Nº 205 on display at Lahore railway station. It is a narrow gauge ZB class locomotive (Hanomag 10761 of 1932) …   Wikipedia

  • List of road-rail bridges — Road rail bridges are bridges shared by road and rail lines, as an economy measure compared to providing separate bridges. Road and rail may be provided with separate tracks, so that trains may operate at the same time as cars (eg the Sydney… …   Wikipedia

  • Transportation in the People's Republic of China — has experienced major growth and expansion since 1949 and especially since the early 1980s. Airports, roads, and railway construction will provide a massive employment boost in China over the next decade.Rail, which is the primary mode of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”