It's not hard to Google countries which have no railways. In some cases (e.g. Bhutan or East Timor) they never had any, but I have been wondering how many countries/territories which once had a railway have closed down their entire systems. I can only think of Cyprus and Trinidad among sovereign countries, and Jersey and Guernsey as territories (Crown dependencies to give them their legal name), but are there any others? I would imagine that some of the other Caribbean islands may be contenders for this unenviable distinction. I recall hearing of one island (was it St Kitt's?) which had kept a former railway as a tourist attraction for cruise ship passengers. There may be others which still have private plantation lines or preserved lines but no public railways.
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Which countries/territories have abandoned railways altogether?
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Sierra Leone ?
StephenHunter
Established Member
Gibraltar had a railway system in its naval dockyard. Malta had a single-track line from 1883 to 1931.
traintravels
New Member
The following eight countries all used to have railways but they have since been fully closed and nothing runs any more:
• Central African Republic
• Equatorial Guinea
• Guinea Bissau
• Guyana
• Iceland
• Nauru
• South Ossetia
• Suriname
In the Central African Republic and Nauru and South Ossetia there is actually still these days quite a lot of old abandoned track and locomotives and wagons still there.
But in Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau and Guyana and Iceland and Suriname all traces seem to be gone (except in Iceland there are two preserved locomotives on static display).
There are probably some other countries as well but these are the only ones i can think of off the top of my head.
• Central African Republic
• Equatorial Guinea
• Guinea Bissau
• Guyana
• Iceland
• Nauru
• South Ossetia
• Suriname
In the Central African Republic and Nauru and South Ossetia there is actually still these days quite a lot of old abandoned track and locomotives and wagons still there.
But in Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau and Guyana and Iceland and Suriname all traces seem to be gone (except in Iceland there are two preserved locomotives on static display).
There are probably some other countries as well but these are the only ones i can think of off the top of my head.
traintravels
New Member
I think you may be right. Up until around 2017 there was definitely a fully operational railway operating goods trains serving some mines. However the last i heard was in 2017 that the line had closed. Although there was some proposals to reopen it but i do not think that has happened yet. So indeed it seems like Sierra Leone currently has no operational railway.
Gloster
Established Member
Iceland only had a 900 mm. line for moving materials in connection with harbour extension works and a few minor industrial lines. They have been talking about a light-rail line linking Reykjavik and the airport.
Andorra?
Andorra?
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traintravels
New Member
Yes there was a 610MM gauge railway. There was some steam locomotives operating on it. Although it is rather controversial as to whether Falkland Islands are actually a country or an overseas territory or an occupied territory and whether they are part of Argentina or the UK. I have heard many different views regarding this.
daodao
Established Member
In Canada, there are no longer any railways on Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland (island, there is still a railway in Labrador). There no longer seems to be an operating railway on Vancouver Island, although there remain plans for (partial) re-opening.
Province rather than country but Newfoundland had close to a 1,000 miles of narrow gauge railway before the final parts closed in 1988. Wiki has a decent article on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_Railway
South Ossetia isn't really a country by any meaningful definition of the term (only Russia, which in reality runs it, its ally Syria, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru recognise it as such) : and, besides, is smaller in both area and population than Suffolk. Georgia's railway network in general is charcterised by prolonged neglect, for sure.
daodao
Established Member
Countries/territories in the Middle East that no longer have operating railways include:
Lebanon
Gaza and the West Bank
Somalia
Libya
Yemen (there was a railway from 1916 to 1929 in Aden)
Lebanon
Gaza and the West Bank
Somalia
Libya
Yemen (there was a railway from 1916 to 1929 in Aden)
Baxenden Bank
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News Update:
Sierra Leone: Pepel to Tonkolili Mine line (196km) re-opened 21 March 2021 by Kingho Mining Company (KMC).
| originally operated by African Minerals, Shandong Steel from 2015, Kingho Mining Company from 2021 |
| re-opened to clear stocks in April 2016 after a 2 year closure |
| mining licence cancelled 2019 |
| re-opened 21 March 2021 by Kingho Mining Company (KMC) |
South Sudan. Has a line to Wau which was formerly part of the main Sudan network until independence. Nominally the line was repaired following the war which led to separation but I don't think it has been used. Fairly certain that South Sudan has no rolling stock itself.
Antigua and Barbuda
Haiti
Nicaragua
Reunion: Wiki states: There are no railways in Réunion, with the exception of a short tourist line, which was originally part of a larger rail network. This may be the one referred to in post #1 as the tourist attraction for cruise ship passengers?
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San Marino had a -- regrettably very short-lived -- 950mm gauge electric line: "lower terminus" Rimini in Italy. Opened 1932: badly damaged late in World War II and never restored. (I have a notion that there may nowadays be preservation activity on a very small scale, at the San Marino end.)
Guatemala and El Salvador used to be jointly served by an extensive, and in parts highly scenic, 3ft. gauge system; which connected with the Mexican standard gauge at the Guatemala / Mexico border. This network fell on evil days as from the late 20th century -- underwent some "ups and downs" in status: but all remaining rail activity in Guatemala ceased in 2007, and has not resumed -- lines totally derelict. There might still be a tiny bit of action in El Salvador; but it's reckoned more likely, that all is finished there too.
Nicaragua had a smallish public rail system, on 3ft. 6in. gauge; but that is all now defunct, as from about end of 20th century, I think. I believe Costa Rica is in more-or-less identical case -- 3ft. 6in. there too; am reckoning that I might have heard of some preservation attempt there, or could have imagined that !
Edited to add: Haiti once had public railways -- basically in the form of several short, non-interconnected lines -- all long-defunct. The Dominican Republic had in the past, a bit of public railway (on two separate gauges -- 2ft. 6in. and 3ft. 6in. !), but that is long gone; country might conceivably have something "industrial" still active. Barbados had a public railway, just one route: originally 3 ft. 6in., reduced to ft. 6in. in late 19th century; abandoned in the 1930s. Oh, and still in the West Indies: Jamaica had a standard-gauge public system -- declined in later 20th century, now all abandoned -- last bit closed pre-2000 I think. And Bermuda briefly had a public railway: opened early 1930s I believe, abandoned 1948: all power internal-combustion from the outset.
@Baxenden Bank: sorry -- didn't notice till a moment ago, your entries re Nicaragua and Haiti. Antigua and Barbuda had, I believe, agricultural / industrial lines only; but this thread is taking cognizance of such lines, as well as public ones.
Guatemala and El Salvador used to be jointly served by an extensive, and in parts highly scenic, 3ft. gauge system; which connected with the Mexican standard gauge at the Guatemala / Mexico border. This network fell on evil days as from the late 20th century -- underwent some "ups and downs" in status: but all remaining rail activity in Guatemala ceased in 2007, and has not resumed -- lines totally derelict. There might still be a tiny bit of action in El Salvador; but it's reckoned more likely, that all is finished there too.
Nicaragua had a smallish public rail system, on 3ft. 6in. gauge; but that is all now defunct, as from about end of 20th century, I think. I believe Costa Rica is in more-or-less identical case -- 3ft. 6in. there too; am reckoning that I might have heard of some preservation attempt there, or could have imagined that !
Edited to add: Haiti once had public railways -- basically in the form of several short, non-interconnected lines -- all long-defunct. The Dominican Republic had in the past, a bit of public railway (on two separate gauges -- 2ft. 6in. and 3ft. 6in. !), but that is long gone; country might conceivably have something "industrial" still active. Barbados had a public railway, just one route: originally 3 ft. 6in., reduced to ft. 6in. in late 19th century; abandoned in the 1930s. Oh, and still in the West Indies: Jamaica had a standard-gauge public system -- declined in later 20th century, now all abandoned -- last bit closed pre-2000 I think. And Bermuda briefly had a public railway: opened early 1930s I believe, abandoned 1948: all power internal-combustion from the outset.
@Baxenden Bank: sorry -- didn't notice till a moment ago, your entries re Nicaragua and Haiti. Antigua and Barbuda had, I believe, agricultural / industrial lines only; but this thread is taking cognizance of such lines, as well as public ones.
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martinsh
Established Member
Barbados
Bermuda
Jamaica
Bermuda
Jamaica
Baxenden Bank
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Ecuador has closed down it's railway system (financial savings due to the impact of Covid) and is currently seeking a private operator - most likely for tourist services.
Republic of the Congo was closed down recently, I assume it still is. This is the ine from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville - not the other Congo across the river (Democratic Republic of the Congo ex Zaire)
Rwanda had some mineral lines
Comoros had some plantation lines
Republic of the Congo was closed down recently, I assume it still is. This is the ine from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville - not the other Congo across the river (Democratic Republic of the Congo ex Zaire)
Rwanda had some mineral lines
Comoros had some plantation lines
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The Railway Year Book for 1921 also mentions a 3-foot gauge line called the Stann Creek Railway in British Honduras (Belize); no doubt also defunct?
I’m afraid that, for now and for some time to come, Syria falls into this category. Not sure it will ever come back, given the extent of damages. Have you ever noticed that when any sort of civil unrest takes place in a country, railways are amongst the first things to go away, and amongst the last ones to come back when peace returns, if ever ? It requires a high degree of social organization to operate a railway...
D6130
Established Member
As stated above, the metre gauge Malta Railway from Valetta to Notabile (Mdina) and its extension to Museum (Mtarfa) were closed in 1931. However the Malta Dockyards had an extensive standard gauge internal system, at least some of which was still in use in the 1960s. Much of the disused track, inset into the dockyard roadways, is still visible today.
Gostav
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Almost all Caribbean islands had different kind of railways and tramways and most are closed today.
There are two websites record the rail systems and relics in Caribbean
There are two websites record the rail systems and relics in Caribbean
About tramways and electric rail services
daodao
Established Member
No longer true for Mauritius. In 2017, construction of a 26 km (16 mi) light rail line from Port Louis commenced, partly following the route of one of the former rail lines, and operations on the northern section started in December 2019.
As for Reunion, a tram-train project was planned in 2010 but the scheme was then shelved; in 2018, a plan for a shorter tram route was launched.
krus_aragon
Established Member
Province now, but it was its own country until 1949.
According to David Rollinson's book Railways of the Caribbean, this line opened in 1914 and was abandoned in 1937.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Albania is incredibly close to doing so, but amazingly it still hangs on.
Cambodia briefly did but then it restarted with outside funding.
Cambodia briefly did but then it restarted with outside funding.
Sao Miguel island in the Azores. Ponta Delgada quarry and harbour railway: Brunel gauge - and locos surviving from the original construction of Holyhead harbour.
see https://churcher.crcml.org/Articles/Article2010_08.html (Broad Gauge Relics in the Açores)
Another website says it was briefly reopened to work the quarry for stone when there was a big road building job.
see https://churcher.crcml.org/Articles/Article2010_08.html (Broad Gauge Relics in the Açores)
Another website says it was briefly reopened to work the quarry for stone when there was a big road building job.
Wikipedia is adamant that there was never any railway in Andorra. However I do remember in the 1960's and 70's the magazine World Steam giving details of a mineral line in the country which made no external connection. I don't think many people visited it, I know I didn't.
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