There were two types: Very narrow rail lines could be used by hand-powered cars, while slightly wider ones were used for the narrow-gauge trains of the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. These light rail lines, which were built not only in the plains but also in the mountains, were the main means of transportation in the early Japanese colonial era.
輕便鐵路主要有二種規格，軌距一呎七吋半者可行駛手推台車，軌距二呎者可行駛台糖五分車，由於輕便鐵路不僅舖設於平地，也深入山區，成為日治早期最重要的交通工具。