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Toronto-gauge railways

Track gauge
By transport mode
By size (list)
Graphic list of track gauges
  Minimum
  Fifteen inch 381 mm (15 in)
  Narrow
  600 mm 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
Two foot 610 mm (2 ft)
Two foot three inch 686 mm (2 ft 3 in)
  750 mm 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Bosnian gauge 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in)
Two foot six inch 762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
  Swedish three foot 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in)
900 mm 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in)
Three foot 914 mm (3 ft)
Italian metre 950 mm (3 ft1+13⁄32 in)
  Metre 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
  Three foot six inch 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
  Four foot 1,219 mm (4 ft)
  Four foot six inch 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in)
  1432 mm 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)
  Standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
  Broad
  Italian broad gauge 1,445 mm (4 ft 8+7⁄8 in)
Dresden gauge 1,450 mm (4 ft 9+3⁄32 in)
  Leipzig gauge 1,458 mm (4 ft 9+13⁄32 in)
  Toronto gauge 1,495 mm (4 ft 10+7⁄8 in)
  1520 mm 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)
Five foot 1,524 mm (5 ft)
  Pennsylvania gauge 1,581 mm (5 ft 2+1⁄4 in)
Pennsylvania gauge 1,588 mm (5 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Five foot three inch 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
  Baltimore gauge 1,638 mm (5 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
  Iberian gauge 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in)
Five foot six inch 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
  Six foot 1,829 mm (6 ft)
  Brunel 2,140 mm (7 ft 1⁄4 in)
  Breitspurbahn 3,000 mm (9 ft 101⁄8 in)
Change of gauge
By location
World map, rail gauge by region

Toronto-gauge railways are tram and rapid transit lines built to Toronto gauge, a broad gauge of 4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm). This is 2+3⁄8 in (60 mm) wider than standard gauge of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) which is by far the most common track gauge in Canada. The gauge is unique to the Greater Toronto Area and is currently used on the Toronto streetcar system and the Toronto subway (three heavy-rail lines), both operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. Several now-defunct interurban rail systems (called radial railways in southern Ontario)[1]: 7  also once used this gauge. The Halton County Radial Railway, a transport museum, located on one of these former interurban line, uses the Toronto gauge.

This unique gauge has remained to this day because it is easier to adapt new rail vehicles to fit the gauge than to convert the entire system to standard gauge.[2] An alternate name for Toronto gauge is TTC gauge, named after the Toronto Transit Commission, the only operator currently using the gauge;[3] however, the gauge existed prior to the creation of the TTC in 1921.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference RTR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference TT-4002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Example-TTC-gauge was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference TorStar-2010-01-06 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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