This is a list of unused railways, comprising railways and rail infrastructure on which some construction work took place but which were never used for revenue traffic as intended:
Railways not operated
These are projects which failed completely, receiving no revenue traffic.
Australia
Queensland Railways, Cooktown to Laura Railway Maytown Extension - line to Maytown goldfield, including Laura River Bridge, saw test train only 1888. The goldfield output was already failing.
Belgium
Charleroi Metro, Chatelet line - line from Waterloo to Leopold constructed in the 1980s. Completed and track laid to Centenaire but never opened.
Canada
Newfoundland
Newfoundland Railway - branch lines from Northern Bight to Terranceville and from Deer Lake to Bonne Bay were abandoned uncompleted at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Nova Scotia Blomidon Railway - began work to build a line from Wolfville to Cape Split in 1911, but ceased on the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Chignecto Ship Railway - a portage railway was begun across the Isthmus of Chignecto in 1888, in lieu of a ship canal. Ships were to be pulled along it in cradles. The work was abandoned uncompleted in 1891. Ontario Brockville and New York Bridge - this major project for a bridge over the Saint Lawrence River between Brockville and Morristown, New York, saw some construction in 1895-6, but little was achieved. Toronto Eastern Railway - construction began in 1910 for an electric railway from a connection with the Scarborough branch of the Toronto and York Radial Railway to Bowmanville and Cobourg. Whitby to Bowmanville was finished in 1913, but not opened. Pickering to Whitby was finished in 1923, then the whole project was abandoned in 1924 with only test trains having been run.
Eritrea
Eritrean Railway, Teseney Line - extension from Bishia to Teseney begun 1932 was never finished, although later projected to Kassala, Sudan in 1940 after that area was briefly occupied by the Italians.