6CE127

Lecture – 2: Gauges and Permanent Way

Presented by
Dr. Bhupendra Singh, Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
National Institute of Technology Patna
Lecture Outline
 Gauges
 Gauge Classification on Indian
Railways
 Problems of Multi-Gauge System
 Uni-Gauge Policy of Indian Railways
 Specific Gauges
 Permanent Way
Gauges
 Definition
 It is the clear distance between two parallel
rails laid

Gauge
HEAD HEAD

FOOT FOOT

RAIL
Gauges - Types
 Standard Gauge  UK, USA,
– 1435 mm (62%) Canada, Turkey,
China
 Broad Gauge –  India, Pakistan,
1676 mm/1524 Sri Lanka, Brazil,
mm(15%) Argentina,
Russia
Gauges - Types
 Cape Gauge –  Africa, Japan,
1067 mm (8%) Australia, New-
Zealand
 Meter Gauge –  India, France,
1000 mm (9%) Argentina,
Switzerland
 Others – 23 in  Other countries
Nos
Gauges – in India
 Broad Gauge – 1676 mm, 63% Route
km
 Meter Gauge – 1000 mm, 31% Route
km
 Narrow Gauge – 762 mm / 610 mm, 6%
Route km
Gauges - Types
 Standard Gauge  UK, USA,
– 1435 mm (62%) Canada, Turkey,
China
 Broad Gauge –  India, Pakistan,
1676 mm/1524 Sri Lanka, Brazil,
mm(15%) Argentina,
Russia
Gauges – in India
 Broad Gauge – 1676 mm, 63% Route
km
 Meter Gauge – 1000 mm, 31% Route
km
 Narrow Gauge – 762 mm / 610 mm, 6%
Route km
Gauge - Selection
 Cost of construction
 Land, components and earth work:
Proportional increase
 Bridges etc: marginal increase
 Buildings, signals etc.: no increase
 Rolling stock: independent
BG Track Classification
Group A B
 Speed up to 160 130
(in km ph)

 Type of Rail section

(in kg/m)
> 20 GMT 60 60
20 – 10 GMT 52 52
< 10 GMT 52 52
BG Track Classification
Group C D
 Speed up to Sub- 100
(in km ph) urban

 Type of Rail section

(in kg/m)
> 20 GMT 60 60
20 – 10 GMT 52 52
< 10 GMT 52 52
BG Track Classification

Group A B
 Sleeper Density 1660 1660 /
(in Nos per km) 1540

 Ballast Cushion 300 300 / 250

(in mm)
BG Track Classification
Group C D
 Sleeper Density 1660 / 1660 /
(in Nos per km) 1540 1540
 Ballast Cushion 300 300 / 200
(in mm)
BG Track Classification
Group E
 Speed km ph <100
 Rail section (in kg/m)
 > 20 GMT -
 20 – 10 GMT 52
 < 10 GMT 52SS
 Sleeper Density (in Nos./km)
1540/1310
 Ballast Cushion (in mm) 300/200
BG Track Classification
Rails used in group A to D are 90 UTS rails.
Sleepers are generally concrete or CST-9
sleeper.
BG Track Classification
Group-A: (5)
 New Delhi – Howrah
 New Delhi – Mumbai Central
 New Delhi – Madras Central
 Howrah – Mumbai VT
 Ratnagiri - Sawantwadi (KR)
BG Track Classification
Group-B: (25)
 Allahabad - Katni - Jabalpur - Itarsi –
Bhusaval
 Kalyan - Pune - Daund - Wadi -
Secunderabad – Kazipet
 Vadodara – Ahmedabad
 Mathura – Ratlam
 Howrah - Bandel – Barddhaman
BG Track Classification
Group-B: (25)
 Sitarampur - Madhupur - Kiul - Patna –
Mughalsarai
 Kharagpur - Waltair – Vijayawada
 Kiul - Bhagalpur - Sahibganj –
Barharwa
 Delhi - Panipet - Ambala Cantt. – Kalka
 Ambala Cantt. - Ludhiana – Pathankot
BG Track Classification
Group-B: (25)
 Ambala Cantt. - Moradabad - Lucknow -
Pratapgarh – Mughalsarai
 Agra Cantt. - Lalitpur
 Lucknow-Kanpur
 Virar - Vadodara – Godhra
 Lalitpur – Bina
 Jolarpettai – Bangalore
BG Track Classification
Group-B: (25)
 Khanna - Barharwa - Farakka Bridge -
Malda Town
 Wadi - Raichur - Arakkonam - Madras
Central
 Arakkonam - Jolarpettai - Salem - Erode
- Coimbatore – Ernakulam
 New Jalpaiguri - Malda Town (NFR)
BG Track Classification
Group-B: (25)
 Chennai Beach – Dindigul
 Chennai Beach - Chennai Egmore (3rd
line)
 Bangalore - Dharmavaram - Gooty
 Ghaziabad – Saharanpur
 Ahmedabad - Ajmer - Jaipur - Bandikui -
Rewari – Delhi
 Kanpur - Agra
BG Track Classification
 Group-D: (38)
 Group-E: (38+)
MG Track Classification
Q-Routes
 With speed more than 75kmph or traffic
density more than 2.5GMT
 Rewari - Ringus - Phulera
 Ratangarh - Degana
 Delhi Sarai Rohilla - Rewari - Ratangarh
 Ajmer - Ratlam - Khandwa
 Jaipur - Phulera - Ajmer
 Ahmedabad - Bhavnagar
MG Track Classification
Q-Routes
 Agra - Mathura - Bhojipura - Lalkuan
 Bhojipura - Lucknow Jn
 Villupuram - Thanjavur - Thiruchirapalli
 Chennai Beach - Villupuram (added in
2000)
 Dindigul - Madurai (added in 2000)
 Jodhpur - Jaipur - Agra East Bank
 Kathgodam - Bhojipur
 Bangalore - Hubli – Miraj
BG Track Classification
Group-B: (25)
 Chennai Beach – Dindigul
 Chennai Beach - Chennai Egmore (3rd
line)
 Bangalore - Dharmavaram - Gooty
 Ghaziabad – Saharanpur
 Ahmedabad - Ajmer - Jaipur - Bandikui -
Rewari – Delhi
 Kanpur - Agra
BG Track Classification
 Group-D: (38)
 Group-E: (38+)
MG Track Classification
Q-Routes
 With speed more than 75kmph or traffic
density more than 2.5GMT
 Rewari - Ringus - Phulera
 Ratangarh - Degana
 Delhi Sarai Rohilla - Rewari - Ratangarh
 Ajmer - Ratlam - Khandwa
 Jaipur - Phulera - Ajmer
 Ahmedabad - Bhavnagar
MG Track Classification
Q-Routes
 Agra - Mathura - Bhojipura - Lalkuan
 Bhojipura - Lucknow Jn
 Villupuram - Thanjavur - Thiruchirapalli
 Chennai Beach - Villupuram (added in
2000)
 Dindigul - Madurai (added in 2000)
 Jodhpur - Jaipur - Agra East Bank
 Kathgodam - Bhojipur
 Bangalore - Hubli – Miraj
IR Track Specifications
 Permissible degree of curvature:
BG 10o
MG 16o and
NG 40o
 Ballast cushion: 20 to 30 cm thick
 Sleeper density: M+7 to M+4
(1660 per km to 1310 per km)
IR Track Specifications
 Prestressed concrete sleepers: For
Group A and B routes
 Standard rails:
BG - 60 kg and 52 kg
MG – 90R, 75R and 60R
 Length of Rail: BG 13 m, MG 12m
 Elastic fastenings
MG Track Classification
R-Routes
 Speed potential of 75kmph and traffic
density more than 1.5GMT
 R-1 Routes:(> 5GMT/year)
 Hospet – Hubli
 Secunderabad - Guntakal
 Londa – Marmagoa
 Katihar - New Bongaigaon
 Guwahati - Tinsukia, and
 Gandhidham - Palanpur
MG Track Classification
R-Routes
 R-2 Routes (2.5-5.0 GMT/year)
 Guntakal – Hospet
 Guntakal – Villupuram
 Tiruchirapalli - Manamadurai – Virudunagar
 Purna - Secunderabad, and
 Jodhpur - Marwar
MG Track Classification
R-Routes
 R-3 Routes (1.5-2.5 GMT/year)
 Madurai – Rameswaram
 Virudhunagar – Tenkasi
 Dindigul – Pollachi
 Ratangarh - Bikaner - Merta Rd.
 Muzaffarpur - Narkatiyaganj, and
 Birur - Shimoga Town
MG Track Classification
S class
 These are all the remaining MG lines rated
for below 75km/h and/or with low traffic
densities (below 1.5 GMT/year).
IR Track Specifications
 Permissible degree of curvature:
BG 10o
MG 16o and
NG 40o
 Ballast cushion: 20 to 30 cm thick
 Sleeper density: M+7 to M+4
(1660 per km to 1310 per km)
IR Track Specifications
 Prestressed concrete sleepers: For
Group A and B routes
 Standard rails:
BG - 60 kg and 52 kg
MG – 90R, 75R and 60R
 Length of Rail: BG 13 m, MG 12m
 Elastic fastenings
IR Track Specifications
 Turnouts:
1 in 81/2 for goods trains
1 in 12 to for passenger
1 in 16 trains
Multi-Gauge: Problems
Inconvenience to passengers
 Change of Platforms
 Climbing or crossing bridges
 Manpower required for luggage transfer
 Hauling of luggage
 Tensions regarding catching the link
train
 Transfers during night time
Multi-Gauge: Problems
Transshipment of goods
 Damage to goods
 Theft
 Storage facilities required
 Delays caused
 Mishandling
Multi-Gauge: Problems
Inefficient use of rolling stock
 Empty movement in opposite direction
of main travel
 Laying idle for a long period of time
waiting for the link traffic
 Transferability of equipment not
possible
Multi-Gauge: Problems
Additional facilities at stations and yards
 Sheds
 Yards
 Maintenance equipment
 Waiting rooms or areas
 Platform of different specification
Multi-Gauge: Problems
Hindrance to fast movement of goods
and passenger traffic
 Specially during emergencies
 Transshipment delays
Multi-Gauge: Problems
Difficulty in balanced economic growth
 Industrial development
 Movement between points of
production and consumption

Difficulty in future gauge conversion

Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
No transport bottlenecks
 No need of transshipment
 No waiting and delays
 Elimination of inconveniences
 Handling of luggage is easier
Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
No transshipment hazards
 Better Safety
 No damages, thefts, mishandling of
luggage
 Elimination of unsafe night time
transfers
Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
Provisions of alternate routes
 Pressure on existing network will
reduce
 Economic scenario will improve
 Higher penetration of products
 More flexibility in movement
 Better connectivity
Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
Improved utilization of track
 Higher efficiency
 Reduction in operating expenses
 Lesser or no idling situation
Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
Better turn around
 Higher use of equipment
 Operational expenses will reduce
 More operations can be scheduled
 Higher benefits to users
 Optimization of facilities
Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
Balanced economic growth
 Regional effects will reduce
 Higher growth of areas, otherwise left
unconnected
 Dispersal of activities
Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
No multiple tracking
 Extra facilities with different
specifications are not required
 Multiple tracks, yards and equipment
with different specifications not
required
Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
Better transport infrastructure
 Better and efficient movements
 Direct connectivity to different areas
previously served by MG
 Higher opportunities to masses
Uni-Gauge Policy (1992)
Boosting investor’s confidence
Loading Gauge
 Represents
maximum height
and width to
which a rolling
stock may be
built or loaded
Permanent Way – Cross sections