Bermuda Railway Pages

The Malta Railway was only seven miles long – even shorter than the Bermuda Railway’s 22 miles – and although various branch lines were planned, none were built. The steam-powered, metre-gauge line ran from the capital, Valletta, to the medieval capital, Mdina. As with the Bermuda Railway, it was needed because island transportation was very poor; before the railway it could take three hours to get from Valletta to Mdina, with the railway it took 30 minutes.

In 1883 the Malta Railway was needed because there were no motor vehicles… since they hadn’t been invented yet (!), while in Bermuda motor vehicles were banned from 1908. In both cases it was the absence of competition that made a railway even possible.

But also in both cases, eventual competition from motor vehicles would mean the end of railway transportation. The motor vehicle ban just meant that Bermuda took a bit longer to get around to it.

If you are interested, a fascinating website, “The Malta Railway” (https://maltarailway.net), provides a history of the line and its stations, rolling stock and operations. Of particular interest is the “Recreating the Line” section, which provides a series of “digital scale models” illustrating the railway. Try “NOTABILE Reconstructed” to get a feel for the old railway: https://maltarailway.net/recreating-the-line/notabile-reconstructed/

Another interesting website, sponsored by the Birkirkara Local Council and the Malta Railway Foundation, presents the Birchircara Railway Station Museum Project: https://birchircararailwaymuseum.com

I recently discovered the Malta Railway by finding one of the two books on the railway in the fascinating Merrickville Book Emporium (http://merrickvillebooks.ca) in Merrickville, Ontario. The Malta Railway, by Joseph Bonnici & Michael Cassar, was published in 1992. Another history, The Malta Railway, by Bernard Rigby, was originally published in 1970 and reprinted in 2014. Both can be found on Abebooks, though they are not cheap, mainly because of shipping costs.

However, it turns out that a PDF version of the Bonnici and Cassar book is available on the Malta Railway website:
https://maltarailway.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/The-Malta-railway-Bonnici-and-Cassar.pdf