Railways

Railways facilitate easy transport of goods and commuting alternatives for passengers. Though used for short-distance travelling, it is preferred mostly for long routes. Broad railway gauges are over 1.5m whereas standard and small railway gauges are 1.44m and 1m respectively.

We find the standard gauge in the United Kingdom. In countries like the UK, India, Japan, and the USA, millions of commuters use the trains daily for commuting in and out of the cities.

Largest Network of Railways in the World

Europe

• Europe has dense rail networks that span around 4.4 lakh kilometres. The railway tracks usually contain two or more tracks

• In Europe, Belgium stands first when it comes to the density of rail networks. Each 6.5 square kilometres area has 1 kilometre of the railway in Belgium

• The regions belonging to the industrial zones of Europe contain the highest densities of railways across the globe

• Prominent Railway Heads: Warsaw, Brussels, Milan, London, Paris, and Berlin

• The focus is more on the public commutation as compared to freight in several countries of Europe

• Cities like Paris and London are famous for their underground railways. Both these cities are interconnected by the Channel Tunnel. It is regulated by England’s Euro Tunnel Group

• The railway stations that connect countries across Europe are less utilised nowadays as flexible, convenient, and quicker options are available in the form of roads and airways

Russia

• 90% of Russia’s transport consists of railways. It has dense rail networks located on the west side of the Ural Mountain Ranges

• The most prominent railhead is Moscow that is well-connected to various parts of Russia’s vast geographical landmass

• Moscow also has a network of underground trains and railways which has its importance

North America

• North America’s rail networks constitute up to 40% of the combined railway line throughout the globe

• These railway lines are utilised for transporting bulky and heavy freight like timber, tools, grains, and mineral ores. Comparatively, the railway lines are less used for commuting purposes

• The neighbouring country Canada and the East Central United States are urbanised and known as industrial zones. Therefore, the highest railway network is found here

Canada

• In Canada, railways belong to the public sector. The railway networks are present in all the regions even though they are less populated

• A majority of the wheat and coal supplies are managed by the intercontinental railways

Australia

• Australia boasts a railway network of around 40,000 kilometers. 25% of the rail networks belong to New South Wales

• The railway line that runs between the west-east covers the major areas of the country. This railway line connects Sydney to Perth and vice versa 

New Zealand

• A majority of New Zealand’s railway lines are on the North Island. They are built to provide convenience to the farming regions

South America

• Around 40% of South America’s railway networks are in the Pampas, Argentina, and areas of Brazil that cultivate coffee

• Amidst the South American countries, only Chile has a vast route connecting coastal areas to the mining regions based inside the country

• Countries like Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru comprise one-track railway lines connecting ports to the interior regions. There are no interconnecting lines between them

• The one and only intercontinental railway line connecting Valparaiso of Chile and Buenos Aires of Argentina. It runs across Andes Mountain via the Uspallata Pass that is 3,900 kilometres high above sea level

Asia

• The rail networks are in all the heavily populated regions of India, China, and Japan. In comparison, the other nations have lesser railway routes

• Indian railways connect all the major cities and ports and are for both freight and commutation

Africa

• The African continent is the second-largest continent in the world. However, it has a railway network of only 40,000 kilometres 

• South Africa has a vast rail network of 18,000 kilometres and is used to facilitate the mining of gold, copper, and diamond

Prominent Intercontinental Routes

• Benguela Railway – Runs from Angola to Katanga and Zambia (known as Copperbelt)

• Tanzania Railway – It connects the coastal region of Dar-es-Salaam to the copper mining area of Zambia

• The railway line running through Zimbabwe and Botswana connects the South African railway network to the states surrounded by land on all sides i.e. landlocked

• Blue Train – Connects Pretoria to Cape Town

• In countries like Kenya, Senegal, Algeria, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, railways connect interior regions to the ports but they do not offer a strong network of rail with the remaining countries

Trans-Continental Railway Route

• Transcontinental railway lines join the two ends of a continent. They are usually built for political purposes, to boost the economy, or to facilitate longer route journeys in various directions

Prominent Transcontinental Railways

Trans-Siberian Railways

• Trans-Siberian Railway connects St. Petersburg located on the west to Vladivostok situated across the Pacific coast. It passes cities like Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Ufa, Moscow, and Irkutsk

• Among the most prominent rail routes in Asia, it is also the longest electric intercontinental and double-tracked route across the globe that spans around 9,332 kilometres

• West European markets have far better access to their Asian area due to this railway route

• Running through the Ural Mountain Range, it runs across the Yenisei and Ob rivers. It also runs through Chita, a prominent city from the agricultural point of view, and Irkutsk, a renowned fur centre

• It also comprises connections to the southern regions like Odessa (Ukraine), Baku on the Caspian Coast, Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Ulan Bator (Mongolia), and Shenyang (Mukden), and Beijing in China

Trans-Canadian Railways

• The Trans-Canadian Railway goes through cities like Winnipeg, Calgary, Montreal, and Ottawa while running via Vancouver (located on the Pacific Coast) and Halifax (located in the east). It spans over 7,050 kilometres

• Built in 1886, it was constructed to join Colombia (located at West Coast and ruled by the British) to the Federation of States as per an agreement

• Economic value – Prairie Region and the Coniferous Forest of North (Wheatbelt) are connected to the industrial region of Montreal in. Quebec. It is an essential line from the economic point of view

• A loop line from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay (Lake Superior) connects this rail line with one of the important waterways of the world
• Wheat and meat are the important exports on this route

Union & Pacific Railway

• Going through Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha, Evans, Ogden, and Sacramento, it joins New York and San Francisco located on the Atlantic and Pacific Coast respectively

• Most essential exports include ores, grain, paper, chemicals, and machinery

Australian Intercontinental Railway

• The Australian Intercontinental Railway passes through Kalgoorlie, Broken Hill, and Port Augusta while joining Perth and Sydney located on the West and East Coast respectively. It passes through the southern region of the Australian continent

The Orient Express

• Orient Express connects Paris and Istanbul while passing through cities such as Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Belgrade
• The journey time from London to Istanbul by this Express is now reduced to 96 hours as against 10 days by the sea route
• Main Exports: Cheese, bacon, oats, wine, fruits, and machinery
• There is a proposal to build a Trans–Asiatic Railway linking Istanbul with Bangkok via Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar

In conclusion:- 

The rail network in South America is most dense in two regions, namely the Pampas of Argentina and the coffee-growing region of Brazil, which account for 40% of South America’s total route length. Among the remaining countries, only Chile has a significant route length connecting coastal centres to mining sites in the interior. Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela all have short single-track rail lines from ports to the interior with no interconnections.