Narrow gauge railways in India

India has a substantial network of narrow gauge railways. The majority of these are metre gauge, totalling approximately 17,000 km of track. There are some gauge railways, and a few that use gauge; these are known as "narrow gauge" (as opposed to "metre gauge") lines in India.

In the 1990s, India concluded that cities on the metre gauge network have a second-rate train service, and is now converting most of the metre gauge network to broad gauge as Project Unigauge - the advantages of uniformity and interoperability were judged to outweigh any other possible benefits arising from the use of diverse gauges.

In 1999 the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (sometimes called the Darjeeling "Toy Train") was officially designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a gauge railway that runs from Siliguri to Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal. The railway travels climbs the foothills of the Himalayas and uses several unusual civil engineering techniques to gain the necessary height including several switchbacks, and spirals including the famous double loop at Agony Point. Until recently all trains on this railway were powered by steam locomotives; however in 2001 two modern diesel engines were built for the line. Most trains are now hauled by the latter, though the former are still used for some tourist services.

The Matheran Hill Railway is another surviving gauge hill railway. The route was destroyed by landslides caused by heavy rains in the 2005 monsoons, but has been rebuilt.

The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a narrow gauge railway in North-West India travelling along a mostly mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla. Another narrow gauge railway line in India runs in Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh. The trains on this route run from Pathankot to Joginder Nagar through Kangra Valley.

Parlakimidi Light Railway, the Naupada-Gunupur railway line in India is laid between the east coast and Eastern Ghats in North Eastern Andhra Pradesh and Southern Orissa. It was built by Maharajah of Paralakhemundi in 1889.

Other narrow gauge lines are:

Shantipur Jn - Krishnagar City Jn - Nabadwip Ghat (28 km) Nadiad Jn - Petlad Jn - Bochansan Jn - Bhadran (59 km) Dabhoi Jn - Pratapnagar - Vishvamitri Jn - Jambusar Jn (79 km) Dabhoi Jn - Miyagam Karjan Jn (33 km) Dabhoi Jn - Chandod (17 km) Dabhoi Jn - Chhuchhapura Jn - Bodeli (25 km) Dabhoi Jn - Chhuchhapura Jn - Tankhala (53 km) Bilimora Jn - Waghai (65 km) Dhaulpur Jn - Bari - Mohari Jn - Tantpur / Sirmuttra (89 km) Gwalior Jn - Sabalgarh - Sheopur Kalan (200 km)		Achalpur - Murtajapur Jn - Yavatmal (113 km) Pulgaon - Arvi (35km) Miraj Jn - Pandharpur - Kurduvadi Jn - Barsi Town - Latur (300 km) (The former Barsi Light Railway) Some sections of this line have been converted to broad gauge and the total length is now reduced to around 200 km ) Nainpur Jn - Jabalpur (71km) Nainpur Jn - Balaghat Jn - Katangi (156 km) Nainpur Jn - Mandla Fort (30 km) Nainpur Jn - Chhindwara - Itwari Jn - Nagpur Jn (290 km) Nagpur - Naghbir Jn (111 km) Pachora Jn - Jamner (54 km) Raipur Jn - Abhanpur Jn - Dhamtari (27 km) Barddhaman Jn - Katwa Jn - Ahmadpur Jn (105 km). Lucknow to Agra fort

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