Culture
Blast from the past! Check out this century old photo of the Valletta railway station
The Parliamentary building now stands where the railway used to stand.

Emma Galea

An old photo uploaded by the Facebook page known as ‘Malta and Gozo’s Beauty’ shows the old railway station in Valletta, a building that most people living in Malta today don’t remember.

The photo must be at least around a century old as the railway station only operated between 1883 and 1931.

The historic shot also shows many horse drawn carriages along the road by the railway station which continues to confirm how truly old the photo is as there is no car found in sight.

It used to operate from Valletta to Mdina and back, shortening the journey from a long three hours to a short 25 minutes. Along the way it used to stop at many different stations including Hamrun, Birkirkara, Floriana, Attard etc.

The train was famously known by the locals as ‘il-vapur tal-art’.  

Unfortunately, the station was extensively damaged during the air raids of World War II but it had already stopped being used by 1931 due to the popularisation of buses.

Ever since then, no public transportation through a railway system has ever been put in place in Malta.

The building itself was completely demolished in the 1960’s and now the Parliamentary building stands in its place.

Do you wish to a see another railway system here in Malta?

Facebook/Malta and Gozo's Beauty

23rd August 2022


Emma Galea
Written by
Emma Galea
Emma is a Gozitan writer who loves all things related to English literature and history. When not busy studying or writing you will either find her immersed in a fictional book or at the cinema trying to watch as my films as she possibly can!

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