The CIA World Factbook Edition 2003 Transportation
Railways In 36 editions of 36.
Railways was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 2003 edition carries it in 237 entries, in its Transportation section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 2003 edition
- 237
- the first edition with it
- 1990
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Railways” (1996 to 2025) and “Railroads” (1990 to 1995).
the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Railways, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.
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Entries with Railways in each edition
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World
1 entryWorld
- total:
- 1,122,650 km includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km of electrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in the Far East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and 4,160 km in North America;
- note - fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hr attained by France's Societe Nationale des Chemins-de-Fer Francais (SNCF) Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) - Atlantique line
- broad gauge:
- 251,153 km
- narrow gauge:
- 239,430 km
- standard gauge:
- 710,754 km
Africa
58 entriesAlgeria
- total:
- 3,973 km
- standard gauge:
- 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2002)
Burkina Faso
- total:
- 622 km
- narrow gauge:
- 622 km 1.000-m gauge
- note:: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote D'Ivoire (2002)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo
- total:
- 4,772 km
- narrow gauge:
- 3,621 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified);
- 125 km 1.000-m gauge;
- 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2002)
Congo, Republic of the now Republic of the Congo
- total:
- 894 km
- narrow gauge:
- 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Cote d'Ivoire
- total:
- 660 km
- narrow gauge:
- 660 km 1.000-meter gauge
note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2002)
Djibouti
- total:
- 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
- narrow gauge:
- 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2002)
Ethiopia
- total:
- 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
- narrow gauge:
- 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2002)
Lesotho
- total:
- 2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the statistics of South Africa
- narrow gauge:
- 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)
Liberia
- total:
- 490 km
- standard gauge:
- 345 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 145 km 1.067-m gauge
note: none of the railways are in operation (2002)
Nigeria
- total:
- 3,557 km
- narrow gauge:
- 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 52 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Sierra Leone
- total:
- 84 km
- narrow gauge:
- 84 km 1.067-m gauge
note: Sierra Leone has no common carrier railroads; the existing railroad is private and used on a limited basis while the mine at Marampa is closed (2001)
South Africa
- total:
- 22,298 km
- narrow gauge:
- 21,984 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 314 km 0.610-m gauge
note: includes a 2,228 km commuter rail system (2002)
Sudan
- total:
- 5,978 km
- narrow gauge:
- 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge plantation line (2002)
Tunisia
- total:
- 2,152 km
- standard gauge:
- 468 km 1.435-m gauge
- dual gauge:
- 10 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2002)
- narrow gauge:
- 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)
Zambia
- total:
- 2,173 km
- narrow gauge:
- 2,173 km 1.067-m gauge
note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) (2002)
Zimbabwe
- total:
- 3,077 km
- narrow gauge:
- 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified)
note: includes the 318 km Bulawayo-Beitbridge Railway Company line (2002)
Arctic Region
3 entriesAsia
22 entriesAfghanistan
- total:
- 24.6 km
- broad gauge:
- 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi;
- 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya (2001)
Armenia
- total:
- 852 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines
- broad gauge:
- 852 km 1.520-m gauge (779 km electrified) (2002)
Bangladesh
- total:
- 2,706 km
- broad gauge:
- 884 km 1.676-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
China
- total:
- 71,600 km
- standard gauge:
- 68,000 km 1.435-m gauge (14,600 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 3,600 km 1.000-m and 0.750-m gauge local industrial lines (2002)
India
- total:
- 63,518 km (15,009 km electrified)
- broad gauge:
- 45,142 km 1.676-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 15,013 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,363 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2002)
Japan
- total:
- 23,168 km (15,995 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified);
- 19,855 km 1.067-m gauge (12,683 km electrified);
- 31 km 0.762-m gauge (31 km electrified) (2002)
Korea, North now North Korea
- total:
- 5,214 km
- standard gauge:
- 4,549 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 665 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
Korea, South now South Korea
- total:
- 3,125 km
- standard gauge:
- 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2002)
Pakistan
- total:
- 8,163 km
- broad gauge:
- 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Russia
- total:
- 87,157 km
- broad gauge:
- 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)
note:: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrrier lines serve industries (2002)
Sri Lanka
- total:
- 1,508 km
- broad gauge:
- 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
Central America and the Caribbean
31 entriesAntigua and Barbuda
- total:
- 77 km
- narrow gauge:
- 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane) (2001 est.)
Cuba
- total:
- 3,442 km
- standard gauge:
- 3,442 km 1.435-m gauge (142 km electrified)
note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2002)
Dominican Republic
- total:
- 1,503 km
- standard gauge:
375 km 1.435-m gauge
note:: 986 km also operated by sugar companies in 1.076-m, 0.889-m, and 0.762-m gauges (2002)
- narrow gauge:
- 142 km 0.762-m gauge
El Salvador
- total:
- 283 km
- narrow gauge:
- 283 km 0.914-m gauge
note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by disuse and lack of maintenance (2002)
Haiti
- total:
- 40 km
- narrow gauge:
- 40 km 0.760-m gauge; single-track
note: privately owned industrial line; closed in early 1990s (2001 est.)
Jamaica
- total:
- 272 km
- standard gauge:
- 272 km 1.435-m gauge;
- note - 207 km, belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation, were in common carrier service but are no longer operational;
- the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite (2002)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
- total:
- 50 km
- narrow gauge:
- 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations during harvest season (2002)
Trinidad and Tobago
minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando; common carrier railway service was discontinued in 1968 (2001)
Europe
45 entriesAustria
- total:
- 6,024 km (3,641 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 5,566 km 1.435-m gauge (3,524 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 34 km 1.000-m gauge (28 km electrified); 424 km 0.760-m gauge (89 km electrified) (2002)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- total:
- 1,021 km (795 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 1,021 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Bulgaria
- total:
- 4,294 km
- standard gauge:
- 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
Czech Republic now Czechia
- total:
- 9,462 km
- standard gauge:
- 9,363 km 1.435-m gauge (1,745 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
Denmark
- total:
- 3,164 km
- standard gauge:
- 2,324 km 1.435-m gauge (595 km electrified)
- note:: total includes 840 km of suburban track (2002)
Estonia
- total:
- 968 km
- broad gauge:
968 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified)
note:: gauge being increased from 1.520-m to 1.524-m to reduce wear on wheels and rail as lines are modernized (2002)
France
- total:
- 32,682 km
- standard gauge:
- 32,515 km 1.435-m gauge (14,104 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Germany
- total:
- 45,514 km (21,000 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 45,276 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)
Greece
- total:
- 2,571 km (764 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge
- dual gauge:
- 23 km combined 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2002)
Holy See (Vatican City)
- total:
- 0.86 km
- standard gauge:
- 0.86 km 1.435-m gauge
note: a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station (2001 est.)
Hungary
- total:
- 7,875 km
- broad gauge:
- 36 km 1.524-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 7,620 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified)
note: Hungary and Austria jointly manage a cross-border, standard-gauge railway connecting Gyor, Sopron, and Ebenfurt (Gysev railroad) with a route length of 101 km in Hungary and 65 km in Austria; 156 km of this line is electrified (2002)
- narrow gauge:
- 219 km 0.760-m gauge
Ireland
- total:
- 3,312 km
- broad gauge:
- 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants) (2002)
Italy
- total:
- 19,493 km
- standard gauge:
- 18,090 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 88 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified); 1,315 km 0.950-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2002)
Latvia
- total:
- 2,347 km
- broad gauge:
- 2,314 km 1.520-m gauge (270 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)
Liechtenstein
- total:
- 18.5 km
- standard gauge:
- 18.5 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified)
note: owned, operated, and included in statistics of Austrian Federal Railways (2002)
Lithuania
- total:
- 1,998 km
- broad gauge:
- 1,807 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 169 km 0.750-m gauge (all service suspended) (2002)
- standard gauge:
- 22 km 1.435-m gauge
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of now North Macedonia
- total:
- 699 km
- standard gauge:
- 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) (2002)
Poland
- total:
- 23,420 km
- broad gauge:
- 646 km 1.524-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 21,639 km 1.435-m gauge (11,626 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 1,135 km various gauges including 1.000-m, 0.785-m, 0.750-m, and 0.600-m (2002)
Portugal
- total:
- 2,850 km
- broad gauge:
- 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Romania
- total:
- 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
- broad gage:
- 60 km 1.524-m gauge
San Marino
0 km; note - there is a 1.5-km cable railway connecting the city of San Marino to Borgo Maggiore
Serbia and Montenegro
- total:
- 4,059 km
- standard gauge:
- 4,059 km 1.435-m gauge (1,364 km electrified) (2002)
Slovakia
- total:
- 3,668 km
- broad gauge:
- 106 km 1.520-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 51 km (46 km 1,000-m gauge; 5 km 0.750-m gauge) (2002)
- standard gauge:
- 3,511 km 1.435-m gauge (1,567 km electrified)
Spain
- total:
- 14,189 km
- broad gauge:
- 11,804 km 1.668-m gauge (6,409 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 455 km 1.435-m gauge (455 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 1,902 km 1.000-m gauge (781 km electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2002)
Switzerland
- total:
- 4,511 km
- standard gauge:
- 3,483 km 1.435-m gauge (3,472 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 982 km 1.000-m gauge (975 km electrified); 46 km 0.800-m gauge (46 km electrified) (2002)
United Kingdom
- total:
- 16,893 km
- standard gauge:
- 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified)
- broad gauge:
- 357 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2002)
Middle East
17 entriesGaza Strip
- total:
- NA km;
- note - one line,
- abandoned and in disrepair,
- little trackage remains (2001 est.)
Iran
- total:
- 7,201 km
- broad gauge:
- 94 km 1.676-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 7,107 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (2002)
Lebanon
- total:
- 401 km
- standard gauge:
- 319 km 1.435-m
note: rail system is unusable because of damage in civil war (2002)
- narrow gauge:
- 82 km 1.050-m
Saudi Arabia
- total:
- 1,392 km
- standard gauge:
- 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2002)
Syria
- total:
- 2,743 km
- standard gauge:
- 2,425 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 318 km 1.050-m gauge (2002)
Turkey now Turkiye
- total:
- 8,607 km
- standard gauge:
- 8,607 km 1.435-m gauge (2,131 km electrified) (2002)
North America
5 entriesUnited States
- total:
- 194,731 km mainline routes
- standard gauge:
- 194,731 km 1.435-m gauge
note: represents the aggregate length of roadway of all line-haul railroads including an estimate for class II and III railroads; excludes 135,185 km of yard tracks, sidings, and parallel lines (2000)
Oceania
25 entriesAustralia
- total:
- 41,588 km (4,612 km electrified)
- broad gauge:
- 2,193 km 1.600-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 15,456 km 1.067-m gauge
- dual gauge:
- 291 km dual gauge (2002)
- standard gauge:
- 23,648 km 1.435-m gauge
Fiji
- total:
- 597 km
- narrow gauge:
- 597 km 0.600-m gauge
note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to September) (2002)
Nauru
- total:
- 5 km
note: gauge unknown; used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast (2001)
South America
14 entriesArgentina
- total:
- 34,463 km (168 km electrified)
- broad gauge:
- 20,736 km 1.676-m gauge (142 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 3,115 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 10,375 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)
Brazil
- total:
- 31,543 km (1,981 km electrified)
- broad gauge:
- 4,961 km 1.600-m gauge (692 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 25,992 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)
- dual gauge:
- 396 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2002)
- standard gauge:
- 194 km 1.440-m gauge (630 km electrified)
Chile
- total:
- 6,585 km
- broad gauge:
- 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Colombia
- total:
- 3,304 km
- standard gauge:
- 150 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)
Guyana
- total:
- 187 km
- standard gauge:
- 139 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 48 km 0.914-m gauge
note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)
Suriname
- total:
- 166 km (single-track)
- standard gauge:
- 80 km 1.435-m gauge
note: Suriname railroads are not in operation (2001)
- narrow gauge:
- 86 km 1.000-m gauge
Uruguay
- total:
- 2,073 km
- standard gauge:
- 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2002)
Southeast Asia
16 entriesHong Kong
- total:
- 34 km
- standard gauge:
- 34 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified and double-tracked)
note: connects to China railway system at Hong Kong-China border (2001)
Indonesia
- total:
- 6,458 km
- narrow gauge:
- 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)
Malaysia
- total:
- 2,418 km
- standard gauge:
- 57 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 2,361 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2002)
Singapore
- total:
- 38.6 km
- narrow gauge:
- 38.6 km 1.000-m gauge
note: there is also an 83 km mass transit system with 48 stations
Taiwan
- total:
- 1,108 km
- narrow gauge:
- 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 km electrified)
note: there also are 1,255 km of 1.067-m gauge routes belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau used to haul products and limited numbers of passengers (2002)
Vietnam
- total:
- 3,142 km
- standard gauge:
- 209 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 2,625 km 1.000-m gauge
- dual gauge:
- 308 km three-rail track combining 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (2002)
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2003, “Railways”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/railways/2003.