Successful Narrow Gauge Railways
The heavy duty 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railways in Australia (e.g. Queensland), South Africa and New Zealand show that if the track is built to a heavy-duty standard, performance almost as good as a standard gauge line is possible. 200-car trains operate on the Sishen-Saldanha railway in South Africa, and high-speed tilt-trains in Queensland (see below). Another example of a heavy-duty narrow gauge line is EFVM in Brazil. 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge, it has over-100-pound rail (100 lb/yd or 49.6 kg/m) and a loading gauge almost as large as US non-excess-height lines. It sees 4,000 hp (3,000 kW) locomotives and 200+ car trains. In South Africa and New Zealand, the loading gauge is similar to the restricted British loading gauge, and in New Zealand some British Rail Mark 2 carriages have been rebuilt with new bogies for use by Tranz Scenic (Wellington-Palmerston North service), Tranz Metro (Wellington-Masterton service) and Veolia (Auckland suburban services).
An economical alternative to a narrow gauge line is a standard or even a broad gauge line built to light railway standards with short radii (tight curves) and steep grades. The trains operate at lower speeds and with lower capacities as well as shorter rolling stock. However the gauge allows through-routing of rolling stock, and simplifies later upgrading.
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