Aukštaitija barge railway Infrastructure

The Aukštaitija Narrow Gauge Railway (Lithuanian: Aukštaitijos siaurasis geležinkelis) is a 68.4-kilometre (42.5 mi) long tourist railway in Lithuania, running from Panevėžys to Rubikiai, with a track gauge of 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in).

The narrow-gauge railway was built from 1891 with a track gauge of 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in). The first section was completed on 11 November 1895 from Švenčionėli to Pastovi, and in 1898 it was extended to Panevėžys. Regular passenger and freight traffic began in the autumn of 1899. Initially, there were 2 depots, 14 stations, 15 locomotives, 58 passenger carriages of various types, 6 mail carriages, as well as 112 closed and 154 open freight carriages. In 1903, approximately 65,000 tons of freight and 40,632 passengers were transported.

Panevėžys became a regional center during the period of Lithuanian independence (1920–1938), and therefore many raw materials such as coal, oil, sand, salt and fertilizer were transported, as well as agricultural products such as flax, lard, sugar, grain, flour and timber.

During World War I, the German army built two field railway extensions with a 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge in 1916, from Gubernija to Pasvalija and from Joniškis to Žeimeļi. The railway was functionally important between World War I and World War II and contributed to the economic development of the region. After World War II, it was operated by the state-owned company "Lietuvos Geležinkeliai".

Traffic began to decline in the second half of the 20th century. In 1996, the railway line north of Panevėžys was closed. In the same year, the narrow-gauge railway was included in the List of Immovable Cultural Properties of the Republic of Lithuania and acquired the status of a cultural heritage site. Tourist trains then began to operate. Freight traffic was gradually discontinued in 1999. On 1 November 1999, a new Narrow-Gauge Railway Department was established within the state railway company "Lietuvos Geležinkeliai". However, passenger traffic was temporarily suspended in 2001. Since 2006, tourist trains have been pulled by TU2 diesel locomotives, and they have been well received with increasing passenger numbers.