VALLETTA
Seen by thousands, understood by few
As initially built, the capital’s station was an odd paradox; superficially grand and elegant outside, but internally dark, smoky, and cramped. At street level the handsome stone building was bedecked with arcades, columns, and classical detailing, fit as the headquarters of the railway company but also a suitable partner to the ostentatious Royal Opera House directly opposite. Immediately and deep below this, accessed by a narrow underground passage with innumerable steps and hardly space for two people to pass, was a wide tunnel that accommodated the platforms and track. The furthest end of the tunnel opened precipitously out over the city’s main ditch where a wooden trestle bridge took trains briefly into the sun before plunging again into the tunnel beneath Floriana.
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When the line opened on 28th February 1883, little mention was made of the new station, but its shortcomings must have been quickly felt, particularly on busy feast days when crowds hustled through the narrow stairs and the short trains were overloaded with passengers. It’s perhaps unsurprising then, that, when the Government took over the railway in 1891, they quickly sought to alter the building, tunnel, and access to increase capacity and passenger comfort.
Tunnel traces
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