Imagine you have a vehicle with steel wheels 1435mm apart, which can travel wherever it likes without worrying about track access, signalling etc. What's the longest journey you can take (in terms of linear distance between start and end points - no going round and round in loops!)?

Probably between the southern tip of Mexico and one of the endpoints in northern Quebec.

Probably between the southern tip of Mexico and one of the endpoints in northern Quebec.

When the Istanbul tunnel will be completed: from Scotland to Bam (Iran)?

you can do a pretty decent trip here from Perth (or Kwinana) Western Australia ... via Tarcoola, South Australia, to Darwin, Northern Territory, or through Port Augusta & Sydney to Brisbane, Queensland.

Certainly not the lomgest SG route in the world, but almost 5,000 km, without crossing a national border: I could add a couple of thousand km, but they're narrow gauge (3' 6") so you'll have to resize your axles.

In Argentina, 1.200 Kms, from Buenos Aires City yo Posadas City, in the border to Paraguay

http://www.trenesdellitoral.com.ar/MAPA/MAPA-TERMINADO.jpg

Departing from Federico Lacroze Station
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/337/7922lc5.jpg

crossing the "zarate - brazo largo" bridge over the Parana River
http://static2.bareka.com/photos/medium/1331469/gran-capitan-subiendo-puente.jpg

If you include the Istanbul tunnel, then Narvik, Norway to Bam, Iran should be almost 7000 km. (rough estimating using google earth). Not sure if anywhere can beat that.

The Marmaray tunnel in Istanbul is still u/c, so we'll have to wait some years.

0km by standard gauge, but by broad gauge aroung 8000km or more.(Tallinn-Vladivostok)

using route Thurso - Zürich - Beograd - Athens is 4726 km

When the Istanbul tunnel will be completed: from Scotland to Bam (Iran)?
Will Scotland - Istambul be longer than Sevilla - Istambul ?
In 2009, it will be possible to cross Spain from Figueras to Sevilla.

Will Scotland - Istambul be longer than Sevilla - Istambul ?
In 2009, it will be possible to cross Spain from Figueras to Sevilla.

Istanbul-Northern Norway is longer than either of those.

The longest current Standard gauge journey you could make in Europe is from Narvik to Kiato in Greece. This is 5905km.

How about VIA rail? 6000 miles from Vancouver to Halifax. I love train trips, but that one would need a sleeper and lots of time off work. :banana:

0km by standard gauge, but by broad gauge aroung 8000km or more.(Tallinn-Vladivostok)

That's it.
Standard gauge is interesting for long distance travel in America, but for european long distances broad gauge is more interesting.

Now if only there were a standard gauge track between China and Iran, it would be possible to travel from Hanoi all the way to Europe...

Not from Hanoi, there is no standard gauge there.

Not from Hanoi, there is no standard gauge there.

But dual gauge is also count in right?

In North America, theoretically, it would be between Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico and Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. I am not sure of the total distance involved.

Note, there is a line to Deese Lake, BC that was partially graded, but it was never finished. Also, the standard-gauge/AAR 'Type E' coupler Alaska Railroad is isolated from the rest of North America railroad network and interchanges with it using a carfloat barge service between Whittier, AK and Seattle, WA (and maybe another port or two).

If a Bering Strait railroad tunnel is ever developed, it would likely connect to the railroad network in North America via that uncompleted Deese Lake line.

Mike

"How about VIA rail? 6000 miles from Vancouver to Halifax. I love train trips, but that one would need a sleeper and lots of time off work."

That can't be right, the Trans Siberian railway is less than 6000 miles long.

When the Marmaray tunnel is opened, it will be possible to go from Narvik to Umm Qasr in Iraq via standard gauge. This will be approximately 8000km.

"Now if only there were a standard gauge track between China and Iran, it would be possible to travel from Hanoi all the way to Europe..."

They need to build a railway around Lake Van too.

Belarusian Railroad doesn't use a gauge of 1435 mm :P

So I'll beter ride my bicycle :D

Upd. Oh, if I use 1520mm gauge, I can ride from Brest (Belarus) through Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine to the east if Russia, i. e. Vladivostok...

Belarusian Railroad doesn't use a gauge of 1435 mm :P

So I'll beter ride my bicycle :D

You'll be tired after a bike ride from Minsk to South Korea!

Actually, Iran is building railway lines from freight-line from Khoramsahr to Basra, and Bam to Zahedan so in a few years time it will be possible to travel from Narvik to Bam via standard gauge, which would be around 10,000km.

If India and Pakistan follow through on their promise to convert their networks to standard gauge, then the Eurasian network would probably be longer than the North American one.

Actually, Iran is building railway lines from freight-line from Khoramsahr to Basra, and Bam to Zahedan so in a few years time it will be possible to travel from Narvik to Bam via standard gauge, which would be around 10,000km.

If India and Pakistan follow through on their promise to convert their networks to standard gauge, then the Eurasian network would probably be longer than the North American one.
I have also seen some chatter not long ago about the various countries in Africa starting to coalesce towards the 1435mm/AAR 'Type E' railroad standard.

NOW, how difficult would it be to connect such an African network with the forthcoming Eurasian one (keeping in mind that it would require a short transit of Israel)?

:?

Mike

0km by standard gauge, but by broad gauge aroung 8000km or more.(Tallinn-Vladivostok)
Wouldn't that broad-gauge network extend to the Finland-Sweden border at Palovaara, Sweden/Tornea, Finland or, more likely, the Russian Naval base area at Severomorsk or even more likely Nikel, near the northern Norwegian border?

Mike

NOW, how difficult would it be to connect such an African network with the forthcoming Eurasian one (keeping in mind that it would require a short transit of Israel)?


There is a bridge that is proposed that will incorporate rail between Yemen and Djibouti, making a Africa-Asia link without going through that area you noted. I don't know much about it's current progress, but if it is built and a subsequent railroad is made to connect it to Saudi Arabia and further afield, that there would be a connection. Who know if it will ever happen though.

Here's a link to the bridge:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=639298

http://www.zntkpoznan.com.pl/english/readarticle.php?article_id=18

from United Kingdom to east Asia by one train :)

In Southern Africa the common or standard gauge is the narrow 1065mm gauge or 3 feet 6 inches. With this you can travel nearly 5000 km from Cape Town in South Africa to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. Check out www.rovosrail.co.za for a company that run this in the luxury style of the Orient Express at least three times a year. It is also possible to do the trip using normal scheduled passenger trains by using the following schedules:
1. Cape Town to Johannesburg (about 24 hours) on Shosholoza Meyl
2. Johannesburg to Mafikeng (about 10 hours) on Shosholoza Meyl
3. Mafikeng to Bulawayo (about 24 hours) on Botswana Railways
4. Bulawayo to Victoria Falls (about 10 hours) on National Railways of Zimbabwe
5. Victoria Falls to Kapiri Mposhi (about 20 hours) on Railway Systems of Zambia
6. Kapiri Mposhi to Dar Es Salaam (about 24 hours) on TAZARA

http://www.rovosrail.co.za/rovos-map.html
http://www.rovosrail.co.za/images/strip-dar-5.jpg

If India and Pakistan follow through on their promise to convert their networks to standard gauge, then the Eurasian network would probably be longer than the North American one.

India never promised to convert its network to standard gauge. But I have read this proposition about Pakistan.

Just to stir this again, from Melbourne I can travel c. 3676 m to Darwin ( I'm using my road Atlas) or say 3,450 km to Perth in one direction, & 1,827 km to Brisbane in the opposite direction, where the 3'6" takes over.

Guangzhou to Lhasa, 4980 km, longest train ride on standard gauge rail.

I think Brisbane to Darwin beats you.

But that's just a huge U shaped route that is double the length of a hypothetical direct route through northern Queensland... (since we're comparing distances as the crow flies)

But that's just a huge U shaped route that is double the length of a hypothetical direct route through northern Queensland... (since we're comparing distances as the crow flies)

Are we? I think Narvik to Iran ... or Trans North America ... wins anyway.

If India and Pakistan follow through on their promise to convert their networks to standard gauge, then the Eurasian network would probably be longer than the North American one.

what promise? India never said it would start converting its gauge to standard guage

India is converting its metre gauge lines to broad gauge.

exactly

In fact, India and Russia have different gauge, except them who don't have standard gauge, converting gauge is good for economic develpment, what ever for transport goods, passengers or more cheap train, equipment, rail and more suppliers. India and Russia can no do that just because high cost and they have theirs suppliers.

Are we? I think Narvik to Iran ... or Trans North America ... wins anyway.

Yes, see my original post. :) I'm interested in how far away from your starting point you can get by staying on standard gauge tracks, not how many kilometres of steel you can travel over...

Yes, see my original post. :) I'm interested in how far away from your starting point you can get by staying on standard gauge tracks, not how many kilometres of steel you can travel over...

Then I'll settle on a trip to Darwin (3676 km).

From Cape Town through the Bering strait to Ushuaia 100 years leter. Just imagined all human beings united.

Buenos Aires-Tucumán
Guage:1,676mm
Distance:1270km

http://www.sateliteferroviario.com.ar/horarios/tucuman_foto1.jpg

http://www.haciendovia.com.ar/galeria/data/media/80/DSC04113.jpg

http://www.todotren.com.ar/trenesturisticos/164_2.jpg

http://www.todotren.com.ar/trenesturisticos/162_1.jpg

^^ 1,676mm is not standard gauge...

^^yeah sorry i read more carefully after posting ....

in standard guage 1200km from buenos aires to posadas

Well, I've been trying out some distances mentioned in this thread with http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm .
Narvik-Athens: 3413 km
"Southern end of Mexico" to "Tip of Quebec" (Tapachula-Gaspé): 5078 km
"Scotland" (Thurso)-Bam: 5673 km
Perth-Darwin: 2656 km
Posadas-Buenos Aires: 840 km
Narvik-Bam: 5117 km
Tallinn-Vladivostok: 6831 km
Thurso-Athens: 3014 km
Sevilla-Bam: 5947 km
Thurso-Bam: 5673 km
Vancouver-Halifax: 4435 km
Merida-Fort Nelson: 4971 km
Brest-Vladivostok: 7398 km
Torneo/Sweden (Haparanda)-Vladivostok: 6437 km
Cape Town-Dar es Salaam: 3702 km
Melbourne-Darwin: 3151 km
Melbourne-Perth: 2725 km
Guangzhou-Lhasa: 2318 km
Brisbane-Darwin: 2851 km
Tucumán-Buenos Aires: 1078 km

The longest way to Canada that I could find was Tapachula-Prince Rupert: 5482 km
As comparison: Sevilla-Svappavaara (Sweden): 3766 km.
Therefore, Tapachula-Prince Rupert should be the longest distance measured as the crow flies between two cities connected to each other with 1435 mm railway tracks.
Travelling from Brest to Vladivostok is the furthest you can get from your origin using only one track gauge.
If changing bogies is allowed, Lagos (Portugal) to Shantou (China) seems to be the longest distance between two cities connected to each other by rails so that it can be traversed in one wagon without having to load the wagon to a ship at any point: 11203 km
If it's not enough to be able to send a wagon, but we want the vehicle to be self-propelled, we can do Lagos (Portugal) to Vladivostok with a Talgo locomotive, at least if the Talgo gauge switcher at the Finnish-Swedish border is still somewhat usable. That would make 10257.017 km, bitte schön.

So, the answer to the original question is 5482 km.
Answering to the original thought behind the question instead of the question itself, the answer can also be 10257 km, 11203 km or 7398 km, depending on what we are ready to accept :)

^^as I have been corrected, Tucuman-Buenos Aires it's not standar guage, Buenos Aires-Posadas (about 1100/1200km) is 1,450mm.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tuBNqZKlM3s/TZROxGD1xVI/AAAAAAAAAO0/XmvNn98oqcU/s640/El+Gran+Capitan.jpg