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Discussion about railroad topics everywhere outside of Canada and the United States.

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 #23076  by george matthews
 
Metre gauge in India

I don't know why the British built so many metre gauge lines in India, nor why they built the main lines to a Broad gauge (neither the same as the Russian gauge, nor the Irish gauge). The South Asian Broad gauge cannot be connected to Russia via Afghanistan. The Afghans will have to decide which gauge to use as they have potential connections to three gauges, as Iran has standard gauge.

Metre gauge in East Africa.

It was mainly about saving money. The Kenya-Uganda line was originally intended to be Cape Gauge but the House of Commons demanded economies. Also they could use materials from India. The curves are slightly tighter, which makes regauging more difficult as new rights of way would need to be built.

Other British territories in Africa used Cape gauge (3ft 6.) except for Sierra Leone.

I have used railways in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Rhodesia (as it then was) and South Africa, and also in Nigeria and Ghana.

This means that it is difficult to connect the East African lines to Sudan and to the Tazara line (from Zambia to Dar es Salaam).

 #27452  by george matthews
 
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/ ... click=true

Fortescue tries to prise open access to Pilbara railway line
By Mark Drummond June 16, 2004

Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group has launched a daring bid to have the Mt Newman rail line in the Pilbara "declared" for third party access in a move which could have major ramifications for BHP Billiton.
In a fresh twist to Fortescue's plans to develop a $1.8 billion iron ore mine, rail and port system in the Pilbara, Mr Forrest revealed yesterday he had lodged a 21-page request with the National Competition Council for BHP Billiton's Mt Newman rail line to be declared.
The Fortescue chief executive said the move was central to his attempt to create a continuous 500 kilometre rail loop into the Pilbara by connecting the Mt Newman line with Fortescue's proposed rail line at Port Hedland and the base of the Chichester Ranges.
The haulage trains could then operate in an uninterrupted circuit from Port Hedland into the heart of the Pilbara rather than up and down the line.<<

Pilbara is a company line. The proposal is to make it a common carrier, but this is being resisted by the people who built it.