Victorian broad gauge

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Victorian broad gauge is the gauge used by the railway network of the Australian state of Victoria, and is 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm).

Australia's first railway was a 4-km Victorian broad gauge line, opened in September 1854 between the Melbourne (or City) Terminus (on the site of Flinders Street Station) and Sandridge (now Port Melbourne). In 1987, the Port Melbourne railway line was closed, and replaced by a standard gauge light rail service, tram route #111, which ran from Port Melbourne to Exhibition Buildings (later replaced with tram route #109, which runs to Box Hill via the city).

As Victoria used a different gauge from New South Wales passengers were required to change trains at Albury. Standard gauge railways now connect Melbourne with Sydney and Adelaide. The adoption of different railway gauges in Australia was an argument used in the leadup to the Federation of Australia.

[edit] See also

• Broad Gauge

[edit] References

• Websterworld, "To Constitute a Nation" page 4, accessed on 19 April 2006