Before the buses, there was a train. For almost half a century, a small steam line carried passengers across the island, and today the traces are easy to walk past without knowing what they are. Malta’s old railway is a story told in fragments: a station in a park, a tunnel under a road, a bridge that leads nowhere in particular.
An island without rails
By the end of the 19th century Malta was the only country in Europe without a railway. The idea of building one appeared in the 1870s. At first it was expected to connect Valletta with the former capital Mdina, a distance of about seven miles. For roughly ten years engineers proposed different plans. In 1880 the newspapers announced that the line would open by the end of 1881.
The line opens and struggles
The construction ran into financial problems and took longer than planned. The railway finally opened in 1883, and the first train covered the distance between Valletta and Mdina in 25 minutes. The money troubles did not end. In 1890 the Malta Railway Company went bankrupt and the line stopped working. Thanks to government financial support, the service reopened in 1892.
In 1895 it was decided to extend the line, and the additional route to Mtarfa began operating in 1900. But in 1905 bus routes were introduced, and the railway began to decline. Buses reached the peak of their popularity in the 1920s, and in 1931 the railway was closed because it had become unnecessary.
What happened to the track
The roads were built over the railway routes. The rails were removed and the line was demolished and converted into roads, so there is no continuous trail to follow. What remains are a few buildings and structures. By now no railway lines have been preserved. Only two former stations, in Birkirkara and Mdina, one restored wagon, and some tunnels and bridges can be found.
The Birkirkara station
The best place to start is Birkirkara. The former station is a popular sight in the town. It stands in a park area, and the station building and the square in front of it attract visitors by their beauty and atmosphere. The setting is calm and green, and it gives a good sense of what a small Maltese railway halt would have looked like.
Take a few minutes to look at the façade, the arches and the proportions of the building. It was built for a modest train service, and the scale feels more like a village halt than a major terminus. Benches around the square make it a pleasant place to sit.
The Mdina end
Another station, located near Mdina, was restored and now works as a restaurant. That means it is an easy stop for a meal or a drink while you are in the area, with the bonus of an old railway setting. If you are visiting Mdina and Rabat anyway, it is worth a short detour just to see the building and consider that the first train from Valletta arrived here.
Tunnels, bridges and the wagon
Besides the stations, some tunnels and bridges survive along the old route, along with a restored wagon. Finding them takes a map and a little patience, since they are scattered and not always signposted. Local tourist offices and heritage groups can point to the best-preserved sections. Treat the search as a small treasure hunt rather than a formal tour.
Practical points
Because the remains are spread out, plan on using buses or a car between them. Birkirkara and Mdina are both reachable by public transport from Valletta. Wear comfortable shoes if you want to look for tunnels or bridges on foot, and check that any structure you approach is open to the public before entering.
A sensible half-day starts in Birkirkara, then moves on to Mdina and Rabat, with lunch at the former station near Mdina. If you enjoy industrial heritage, bring a camera for the arches, rivets and brickwork; those details are where the railway’s age shows best.
Why it is worth a stop
Railway history on an island this small is easy to overlook, because the line lasted only forty-eight years and left little behind. That is also what makes the surviving pieces interesting. A single station building in a park or a restored wagon tells you that Malta once tried a different future, then chose buses.
For anyone who likes transport history, the comparison is instructive: the same corridor between Valletta and Mdina that carried a steam train in 25 minutes is now served by roads and buses. The old route is a useful reminder of how the island’s towns grew along it.
