Tramways have been used to transport sugar cane from the fields to the mill since 1876, when a 2.4 km (1.5 mi) horse tramway was constructed on the Selia Levu estate, on the island of
Taveuni. The Holmhurst Mill on Tavenui had tramways from 1882 of
narrow gauge. A tramway was also built on
Mago Island. Most cane tramways were of gauge, on the main islands of
Viti Levu and
Vanua Levu.
Steam engines were used, later replaced with
diesel engines. Most of the mills and tramways were built by the
Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR), an Australian-owned company, and were transferred to the
Fiji Sugar Corporation in 1973, when CSR withdrew from Fiji. Many lines were on road reserve provided by the government; combined
road-rail bridges were common. Some passenger services were provided, such as the famous Free Train from 1915, with one or two trains a week from Lautoka to Kavanagasau and Rarawai on the
Rarawai–Kavanagasau Light Railway. In 1988, according to
Cane Train, there was 645 km (401 mi) of permanent cane railway in Fiji, for the Lautoka and Rrawai, and
Penang mills on Viti Levu, and the Labasa, on Vanua Levu. As of 2020 over 300 km is currently operating. Image:Fiji Sugar Locomotive 22 crossing the Sigatoka bridge.jpg|Locomotive no. 22 crossing Sigatoka bridge with a long train of empty wagons, near the end of the South Coast line. Image:Fiji Sugar Locomotive 21 at Nadi Back Road crossing.jpg|Locomotive no. 21 crossing Nadi Back Road into the cane fields with a few empty wagons. The main line runs parallel to the road on left. Image:Fiji Sugar Locomotive 11 enters Lautoka with full load.jpg|Locomotive no. 11 entering Lautoka with a long train of approximately 45 loaded wagons. == Passenger lines ==