Daudzeva - Sunākstes - Viesītes narrow gauge railway
Infrastructure

Viesīte narrow-gauge railway junction – a strategically important railway network in Sēlia

The Viesīte narrow-gauge railway junction was the largest railway network of its kind (600 mm gauge) in Latvia. It operated from 1916 to 1972 and connected several important towns and villages of Sēlija – Nereta, Viesīte, Daudzevu, Jēkabpils, Aknīsti and others. The maximum length of the railway reached 280 kilometers.

Origin and military significance

This railway was built during the First World War – from 1915 to 1916 – along the banks of the Daugava River to ensure the supply of the front and the movement of troops. It was built by the German army with the help of the local population. This was the so-called “castle railway”, which was used for military purposes.

Several lines were built in 1916:

• Skapiški (Lithuania) – Viesīte – Aldaune (100 km),
• Pasmalve – Eglaine – Siliņi (120 km), where this line connected to the previous one,
• Rokiški – Aknīste – Geidāni (50 km),
• Ābeļi – Subate – Kaldabruņa (30 km), where there was a railway triangle for turning trains.

Branches to Bebrene, Dvieti, Zasa and Vandāni were also built. Some of these lines were dismantled in 1920–1927.

In the same year, 1916, the Viesīte–Daudzeva line was also built, with a branch to Sece.

After the war – civil traffic and development

After World War I, some of the lines were demolished, but the rest were incorporated into the Latvian State Railways network. They continued to be used for both freight and passenger transport.

Several lines operated during the interwar period:

• Jekabpils–Nereta,
• Siliņi–Aknīste,
• Guest–Daudzeva,
• Siliņi–Elkšņi (31 km, built in 1932 for forestry work).

In 1936, a vocational school was opened in Viesīte, where railway specialists were trained. In the mid-1930s, 67 passenger carriages, service motorized trolleybuses, snowplows, and Ml series steam locomotives operated at the Viesīte railway junction.