Even those who have never traveled by train have probably heard at least with the edge of their ears that Russia does not have such a railway track as in European countries. It differs in its width, as a result of which travelers have to either change the train, or wait until their carriage is “changed” to a narrower or wider track. What is the reason for this state of affairs and why should everyone not make the same gauge.
It is extremely difficult for a modern person to understand, accept and come to terms with the fact that many things that today seem to him simple, obvious and understandable, were not necessarily so for the previous generations. This is exactly the case with the railway track.
However, first it should be noted that the railway track is different not only in Russia and European countries. South America uses at least 4 different railway tracks. Its own in India and Pakistan. In Africa, at least 3 different types of railway tracks are used. In Indochina and Japan, there are two varieties. Moreover, it has its own railway track in Spain and Portugal. And in Ireland (including in its northern British part) there is not such a railway as in Great Britain. Moreover, in the rest of Europe, the railway became with the same track only in the 20th century, and Europeans began to make the greatest efforts to unify in this area only after the Second World War. war.
Why is everything so "neglected"? In fact, the answer is extremely simple: it's all about different technologies for the production and laying of the railway. The most active phase of the development of railway transport fell on the period of the industrial revolution in the middle of the 19th century. At the same time, in those days, each country had its own manufacturer of components for the railway, each of which, as a rule, was also engaged in laying rails. Moreover, a number of countries had several large industries and in some cases they managed to put different canvases within one country.
The leaders in the field of railway construction in the 19th century were the USA, Great Britain, France and later Germany. Needless to say, companies from these countries opened their offices in other countries, where they sold their technologies. The Russian Empire, in which two different railways were built, was no exception. Part of the canvas was created by the Americans (in the 19th century, Russia and the United States were quite close friends), and another part of the canvas (smaller) was laid by the British. Subsequently, the Soviet Union created its own railway industry and its own track, with the creation of which, for obvious economic reasons, were forced to rely on the already existing iron roads.
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Nevertheless, the world is moving towards the unification of the railway track. This process is not fast, as it is very expensive and technically difficult. Moreover, many countries retain their own production of rails and sleepers, as well as wagons and tractors, which cannot be simply taken and closed or modernized. But things are going on, and at the moment about 60% of the entire railway track in the world has a European standard, including the United States and Canada. The track width of the "European" is 1,435 mm. Russia uses the Soviet gauge of 1,520 mm. By the way, the widest track in India, Pakistan and Argentina is 1,676 mm. This is followed by Spain and Portugal - 1,668 mm. In Ireland, the track gauge is exactly 1,600 mm, but in Brazil and Vietnam (and a number of other Indochina countries) - 1,000 mm.
Continuing the topic, read about why can't you try to climb the platformif you fell on the rails in the subway.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/080121/57374/
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