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II. The Electrification of Railways (Excluding
Light Railways).
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In the following table an attempt is made to show the
position and development of the electric operation of trains
on the main railways. Here again it was found that the sta-
tistical data relating to the length of electrically operated
track were by no means complete. It was therefore necessary
in the case of certain countries (see footnotes to the table) to
make use of figures from private sources connected with this
branch of the industry.
The figures obtainable relating to the different countries
show wide discrepancies. In many cases no distinction is made
between main and light railways. Furthermore, in some cases,
lines which are still under construction were included with
those actually in operation.
Except in the case of Switzerland and the United States
of America, the figures given in Columns 2 and 3 of the follow-
ing table probably do not vary to a great extent from the figures
relating to the period immediately prior to the war, since,
during the war and the years following it, the work of railway
electrification was practically at a standstill.
To sum up it is found that in 1921/22 of a total length of
railways in Europe amounting to about 370000 km,
about 2200 km, or 0,6 %, and in 1926 of a total of 380 000 km,
about 6000 km, or 1,6 9, were electrified.
In America (North and South), in 1926, out of a total length
of 598 600 km, about 3850 km, or 0,7 9, were electrified.
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