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).
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).