Railways in
Haïti
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The Haïti Steam Tramway at Port au Prince in 1915, during the period of American occupation.
The first railway in Haïti was a horse drawn street tramway opened in 1878 in the capital, Port au Prince. The original tramway closed in 1888, but was restored and reopened in 1897 as a 2ft 6in (762mm) gauge steam hauled line, which was extended into the neighbouring countryside: to Manneville on the shores of Étang Saumâtre, and to Léogâne further along the coast. The street tramway closed in 1932, although there is some evidence that the rural lines may have continued operation into the 1950s.
In 1905, a 3ft 6in (1067mm) gauge railway line opened between Port au Prince and Saint Marc, a distance of around 100km. This, too, closed some time during the latter half of the 20th century.
A privately owned 2ft 6in (762mm) gauge line serving the sugar cane industry, some 40km in length, closed towards the end of the 1980s.
© 2006-2020
Glyn Williams
Photo image public domain from the collection of
Allen Morrison
