It was engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who chose a broad gauge of but, from 1854, a series of amalgamations saw it also operate standard-gauge trains; the last broad-gauge services were operated in 1892.
This narrow-gauge service runs along the rugged northern coast from Bilbao through Santander and Oviedo to León.
Following an agreement between the Met and the GWR, from 1865 the Met ran a standard-gauge service to Hammersmith and the GWR a broad-gauge service to Kensington.
The last broad-gauge service left Paddington station on Friday, 20 May 1892; the following Monday, trains from Penzance were operated by standard-gauge locomotives.
In 2008 El Zorro has taken over the Warrnambool - Melbourne container service from Pacific National, and moved into broad gauge grain services, while QRNational has taken over the Melbourne - Horsham container service.
A monthly gauge of services activity, published on February 5th, has fallen dramatically and now suggests recessionary conditions.
Standard gauge rail services from Sydney came with the extension of the Main Southern railway line to Cootamundra and Junee in 1878 and the construction of the Murrumbidgee River Rail Bridge in 1881 allowed the line to be extended past Wagga Wagga to Henty and Albury later that year.
The ISM's gauge of service-sector activity fell to 54.1, its weakest reading since March.
A gauge of service activity slumped in July, pressed by declines in new orders and prices and weakness in employment.
But the gauge for service industries plunged to only just above 50, the point at which more managers report a fall than a rise in activity.
[C9.] A gauge of service industries jumped to a record in March as orders and employment climbed, and a quarterly survey of chief executives showed their confidence in the economy is the highest in more than 20 years.
