Railways in

Naoero

One of the steam locomotives of the original
2ft gauge phosphate railway on Naoero

The first, and only, railway on Naoero opened in 1907. It was a 2ft (610mm) gauge line, about 4km in length, serving the phosphate mining industry. The line was converted to 3ft (914mm) gauge in 1920. Various sections were added and removed over time, reaching a maximum extend of around 22km at the time of the Japanese occupation of 1943.

In early 21st century the phosphate industry was in a state of decline. Mining ceased for a time, but was revived to recover secondary deposits (essentially waste from earlier mining operations) as part of an environmental rehabilitation process for the island. This work too ended after a while and operations on the remaining few km of line ceased completely in 2008.

One of the steam locomotives and several wagons of the original 2ft gauge line are preserved as a static, open air exhibit. Much of the infrastructure and equipment of the later line has been left in place, but little is known about its present condition.