Narrow-gauge railways in Latvia

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Around 1935, Latvian narrow-gauge railways consisted of 536 km (335 miles) of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge, 432 km (270 miles) of 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) gauge, and 48 km (30 miles) of meter gauge.^[1]^[2]

One public, one museum, and some industrial peat railways survive.

Common carrier

Track gauges were 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) gauge unless otherwise specified.

First Russian Supply Railway Company
Valka–Rūjiena–Mõisaküla–Pärnu, branch of the Gulbene Line
Liepāja–Alsunga line, 67 km, opened in 1932, extended to Kuldīga (20 km)
Liepāja–Rucava line, 52 km, 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) narrow-gauge military line, converted to 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) narrow gauge
Liepāja–Aizpute railway, 48 km.
Livonian Supply Railway Company
- Gulbene line, Pļaviņas–Gulbene–Alūksne–Ape–Mõniste–Valga, 202 km, opened in 1903, partially closed in stages.
Pāle–Staicele, 16 km, opened 1927
Puikule–Aloja, 12 km.
Riisselja–Ainaži, 76 km, closed 1975.
Valmiera supply railway company, 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge, 1912:
- Valmiera–Smiltene, 32 km, closed 1969.
- Valmiera–Ainaži Harbour, 83 km, closed in 1979.

Peat railway

The peat companies mainly use 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) gauge, but there also exists 700 mm (2 ft 3+9⁄16 in) and 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge railways.

Peat railway based at Ozoli
Peat railway based at Seda
Peat railway based at Misa
Peat railway based at Puikule
Peat railway based at Zilaiskalns
Peat railway based at Strūžāni
Peat railway based at Līvāni
Peat railway based at Baloži

Other

There is an historic train in Ventspils. The track gauge is 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) and the length is a 2 km circle. The locomotives are former "Brigadelok" steam locomotives. From 1918 until the early 1960s they ran a regular service from Ventspils along the coast to Mazirbe and further down to Talsi and Stende.
The Riga Pioneer Railway, 2 km long, was in existence from 1956 to 1997.

References

v t e Narrow-gauge railways in Europe
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Narrow gauge railways in Latvia

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