# gauge change

*Last updated: 2026-06-26*

> Gauge change is the process by which freight or passenger trains transition between railway networks built to different track gauges – most prominently between the standard gauge used across most of Europe (1,435 mm) and the broad gauge (1,520 mm) prevalent in Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia.

Gauge change is the process by which freight or passenger trains transition between railway networks built to different track gauges – most prominently between the standard gauge used across most of Europe (1,435 mm) and the broad gauge (1,520 mm) prevalent in Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia. Two technical approaches exist: gauge-changing facilities where wheelsets or entire bogies are swapped, and variable-gauge bogies that adjust automatically as the train passes through a conversion installation. The latter avoids reloading cargo and cuts transit time significantly. On transcontinental freight corridors linking Europe and Asia, gauge change points are among the most operationally sensitive nodes in the supply chain.

**Source:** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_gauge#Gauge_change](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_gauge#Gauge_change)

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Term | gauge change |
| Language | EN |
| Word count | 106 |
| Last updated | 2026-06-26 |
| Source | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_gauge#Gauge_change |

## Related Pages

* [Mongolia](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/mn)

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