standard gauge

American  

especially in technical use, standard gage

noun

1. gauge15

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standard gauge British  

noun

1. a railway track with a distance of 4 ft 8 1/ 2 in. (1.435 m) between the lines; used on most railways See also narrow gauge broad gauge

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or denoting a railway with a standard gauge

Other Word Forms

• standard-gauge adjective
• standard-gauged adjective

Etymology

Origin of standard gauge

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics showed its standard gauge railway hauled 6 million metric tons of cargo last year, from 5.4 million a year earlier.

From Reuters • Nov. 18, 2023

In Tanzania, Yapi Merkezi is helping to build a 1,219-kilometer standard gauge railway line that the country is developing as part of efforts to boost trade with Uganda and other neighbouring countries.

From Reuters • Jan. 13, 2023

"Eventually, this standard gauge railway will still be complete because it is part of what we call the Belt and Road Initiative," said James Macharia, Kenya's transport minister.

From Reuters • Nov. 22, 2021

Though chess has lately been the best-publicized measure of a machine's humanity, it is not the standard gauge.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was believed possible by the engineers that a railroad of standard gauge and equipment could be operated without special appliances, and so strongly was this view held that work was commenced on the project.

From My Native Land The United States: its Wonders, its Beauties, and its People; with Descriptive Notes, Character Sketches, Folk Lore, Traditions, Legends and History, for the Amusement of the Old and the Instruction of the Young by Cox, James