Most Bosnian-gauge railway lines were built during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Several 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) gauge railways were planned in order to link the extensive narrow-gauge railways in the Austro-Hungarian Empire with those in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Until the outbreak of the Balkan Wars in 1912 several were constructed.
Between World War I and World War II the network was extended significantly, at the end connecting the Adriatic Coast with Belgrade, with the network growing to around 1500 km in length.
Construction of a new standard-gauge line from Sarajevo to Ploče on the Adriatic in 1966 replaced the 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) Narentabahn (Narenta railway) from Sarajevo to the coast and had the effect of isolating the south-western narrow-gauge system from the 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) railways starting at Sarajevo. With the demise of a connecting network all the other remaining narrow-gauge lines were then at risk and restricted to local traffic.
The system based on the Adriatic closed in 1975. By 1979 the rest of the Bosnian lines had closed. In Serbia the last 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) line closed in 1983. The most modern diesel railcars were sold to the Portuguese Railways (where they regauged to metre gauge for use on the Douro Valley metre-gauge lines, such as the Tua line), becoming Portuguese train type 9700.
Central 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) gauge network
"Steinbeis" railways
Approximately 400 km, 1902–75.
Built as a group of four main forest railways of the "Bosnische Forstindustrie AG Otto Steinbeis".[1] All four railways started off from Srnetica.[2]
In Knin it had an interchange connection to the normal gauge railway system of Croatia.
"Unska pruga" normal gauge railway was built in 1948 in the vicinity of this railway in the section between Knin and Lička Kaldrma, but both railways had their own distinct routes and even operated simultaneously for a short period of time.
This caused an immediate closure of the entire central section of the old narrow gauge Bosna railway from Doboj to Zenica in 1947.
However, its remaining two sections continued to operate:
Section "Bosanski Brod – Derventa - Doboj" operated until 1968, in order to keep the direct-gauge connection of the Teslić basin railway to Sava river at Bosanski Brod.
Section "Zenica - Lašva" continued to operate until 1975 (until the Spalato railway was discontinued), in order to provide direct-gauge connection of Zenica's industry with the areas serviced by Spalato railway.
Section "Lašva - Kakanj - Visoko - Sarajevo" continued to operate until 1967 (until the new normal gauge railroad "Sarajevo - Konjic - Jablanica - Mostar - Čapljina - Ploče" was completed) in order to provide the direct-gauge connection of Zenica's industry with the port of Ploče.
Hum – Trebinje, 17 km, built in 1901 and extended to Bileća in 1931 (37 km), Nikšić (Montenegro) in 1938 (71 km) and further to Podgorica in 1948 (56 km).[8]
It had direct connection to the East Bosnian railway in Ustiprača.
It was extended in 1946 to Brod na Drini village, which connected it to the forestry narrow gauge railroad network of "Maglić" forestry conglomerate (railroads to Miljevina and to Tjentište and further on).
In the 1960s, plans were made to regauge the lines to standard gauge. However, this was not realised. On 28 May 1978 the line was closed for commercial traffic.
The track bed is currently very visible in the landscape, with several stations, tunnels still visible. A small part of the track is still in service as a heritage railway rebuilt between 1999 and 2003, Šargan Eight.
Other
There were numerous private industrial and mostly forestry narrow gauge railroads in operation throughout the late 19th and most of 20th century, with varying construction and deconstruction dates.
Some of them were isolated, while some had direct connections to one of the main state narrow gauge railroads.
An isolated 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) gauge railway.
Sinj railway
Split – Sinj (completed in Croatia); 40 km, 1903–62. A planned extension via Aržano to Bugojno (and further on existing tracks to Sarajevo) never materialized because of World War I and the line remained isolated from the Bosnian 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) network.[11]
Banovići coal-mine railway
A 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) gauge industrial line opened in 1947 near Tuzla.[12] Still in commercial operation.