What are the largest countries (in economic terms) with no active rail service?

While not large (pop. 300,000), I know Iceland is one.

 

 

Kent in SD

Well, if you don't count tourist lines I don't think Puerto Rico (if you classify it as  a country separate from the U.S.) has any rail lines. As far as states go, I don't think Hawaii has anything other than tourist lines, either.

 

I suspect many of the island nations once had railroads serving sugar cane, pineapple, banana, coffee, etc. plantations, but for the most part they are now history I didn't check, but does New Zealand have a rail system?

New Zealand has railways on both Islands. My wife was on a business trip there several years ago and came home with a train magazine that she bought at a newsstand near her hotel.

Although not a separate country since it officially became part of Canada in 1949, the island of Newfoundland no longer has any trains.  It once was host to one of the largest narrow gauge systems in North America, which was extensively modernized by Canadian National.  Long haul passenger, mixed branch line trains, and road freights were all part of operations, using locomotives designed by emd specifically for Newfoundland narrow gauge.  Although always a money looser, operations fell on hard times after the Trans Canadian highway was completed and despite a foray into intermodal, the railroad was closed as part of efforts to privatize CN in the late 80's. 

So once again, although not really a country, Newfoundland is about the closest thing I can think of in North America to a country without trains. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_Railway

It's looking like Iceland is the winner here.    No one lives in the interior and all of the medium and larger cities are harbors.  They have no agricultural goods to move and not much else for that matter.  Their biggest export is fish, which comes from the ocean.

 

Kent in SD

Thanks to all for the replies.

 

I found a site that lists the top ten countries with no major active railways:

 

http://www.theworldgeography.c...thout-railroads.html

These are all countries with large areas of low population density. Except for Libya, Oman and Iceland, these are among the poorest countries in the world. Low population density or poverty, or both, are the main reasons for non-existent railway system.

 

Libya
Chad
Niger
Somalia
Central African Republic
Yemen
Papau New Guinea
Oman (no main line railways, just a small tourist train into a cave)
Iceland
Bhutan

 

This is subject to change because some countries are building new railways. Some of these countries had railways years ago, or have currently disused railways.

Iceland once had a small railroad that was used to carry quarry rock to Reykjavik harbor.  This was around 1910 if I remember right.  They had two 0-4-0 engines.  They still have them, and they are on display.

 

 

http://tinyurl.com/nb23kht

 

 

Kent in SD

Here's a picture of me in front of the remaining Icelandic steam loco, the only piece left, on display at the Reykjavik Harbor.

 

Bermuda had a railroad from 1931 to 1948.  The equipment was sold to British Guiana.  The line ran the 22-mile length of the islands.  They used gasoline powered motors to haul both freight and passengers (cars were banned from the island in 1908 and did not reappear until after WWII). 

 

 

Jan

BOTH engines are still there. The one in the harbor (which I linked above,) and one in an indoor museum. Kent in SD

 

Ghana and Nigeria have started up their railways.

Thanks everyone for interesting info.

 

Nigeria has had a rail system since 1898 but since independence it has suffered substantial neglect. Nigeria is by far the most populous nation in Africa, so that would be significant for a country of that size to not have a functional rail system.

 

from Wikipedia: Nigerian Railway Corporation

 

The rail network reached its maximum extent shortly after Nigerian independence, in 1964. Shortly after that, the NRC entered a long period of decline, inept management, and eventually a complete lack of maintenance of rail and locomotive assets. In 1988, NRC declared bankruptcy, and all rail traffic stopped for six months. After that, trains resumed, where the tracks were usable. By 2002, passenger service was again discontinued altogether.^[3] Starting in 2006, plans were made to restore the rail lines and add new locomotives with foreign assistance.

 

The notes about a railway in Iceland bring to mind the fact that railways used to exist in many obscure and distant places. A former railway in Spitsbergen probably rates as the most northernmost railway of all time.

 

http://www.internationalsteam..../trains/norway03.htm 

 

 Gauge 891mm or 900mm ?

Nigeria rates as a large country (seventh most populous in the world) with a seriously neglected and dysfunctional rail system.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...poration#cite_note-5

 

All trains are diesel locomotive operated. The railways owns theoretically nearly 200 locomotives, of which up to 75% are not operational, there are also about 54shunters, 480 passenger coaches and over 4900 freight wagons, less than 50% of the coaches and wagons are in serviceable conditions.

 

All 576 kilometers (358 mi) of main lines are controlled by panel interlocking and tokenless block. Rail tracks are mainly of the 29.8 kg/m (60 lb/yd), 34.7 kg/m (70 lb/yd) and 39.7 kg/m (80 lb/yd) types fixed by Pandrol K Type fastenings on steel sleepers (cross ties).