Most Bosnian-gaugerailway lines were built during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Several 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 Narentabahn from Sarajevo to the coast and had the effect of isolating the south-western narrow-gauge system from the 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 line closed in 1983. The most modern diesel railcars were sold to the Portuguese Railways, becoming Portuguese train type 9700.
Central gauge network
Steinbeis railway
Approximately 400 km, 1902–75. Built as a forest railway of the "Bosnische Forstindustrie AG Otto Steinbeis".
Bosanski Brod–Doboj–Zavidovići–Zenica–Lašva, Podlugovi–Vogošća–Sarajevo; 268.2 km, built 1879–1882, connection to the Spalato Railway at Lašva, as well as the East Bosnian railway and the Narenta railway at Sarajevo.
Branch: Doboj–Karanovac–Simin Han, 66.7 km, built 1886; Branch Karanovac–Gračanica, 6.0 km, built 1898.
Branch: Zavidovići–Olovo
Branch: Podlugovi–Vareš, 24,5 km; Čevljanović–Ivančići, 1.9 km
Branch: Vogošća–Čevljanovići; 20.3 km built 1885.
Narenta railway
Narentabahn ; 178.4 km, constructed 1885 – 1891.
Metković–Gabela-Čapljina–Mostar; 42.4 km, 1885
Mostar–Ostrožac; 65.9 km, 1888
Ostrožac–Konjic; 13.0 km, 1889
Konjic–Ivan pass–Ilidža–Sarajevo; 55.8 km, 1891. Connecting with the Ostbahn and the Bosna railway at Sarajevo.
Branch: Gabela–Metković–Ploče; 1942 extension to a planned sea harbour in Ploče.
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 quite well 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
Bosanska Mezgraja–Bijeljina railway
–Ugljevik–Modran–Bijeljina An isolated gauge railway.
–Sinj ; 40 km, 1903–62. A planned extension via Aržano to Bugojno never materialized because of World War II and the line remained isolated from the Bosnian network.
Banovici coal-mine railway
A gauge industrial line opened in 1947 near Tuzla. Still in commercial operation.
