San Salvatore remains – The Malta Railway

San Salvatore to Notabile

A site badly treated

The northern limits of San Salvatore station are demarked by a seasonal stream that the railway bridged with a simple stone structure; this survives beneath the present road. As with much of the surviving infrastructure on the station site, it’s been badly treated by road improvements. Whilst the western side of the bridge is the original, the downstream side has been lost to road widening.

On the western side again, a new cycle path runs parallel to the road. Despite causing some damage to the retaining structures supporting the station, it at least deviates around most of them.

San Salvatore station was the last level ground before the ascent towards Mdina and a passing loop for trains was built here. There are two retaining structures creating a terrace for the tracks and platform; An ashlar-built stone stretch of embankment walling is supported in turn by a rougher coursed buttressing section, perhaps introduced to arrest subsidence or prevent flash floods undermining the main structure. Today the cycle path slices uncomfortably close through the base of the lower wall.

Until very recently some of the original palm trees that lined the station platform still grew. These have since been felled, but new trees planted in their original locations on the east side of the road.

Looking in the Rabat direction, the over-bridge at San Salvatore station has now been replaced by a huge roundabout. The original palm trees have recently been cut down but replaced in their original pits.

At the east end of the station site looking down on the north side of the bridge carrying the railway, now the road, over a stream bed.

Seen from a cycle path that now runs adjacent to the old station, this stone embankment wall once abutted the north edge of the line.

Landmarks in the country

Beyond the station site the railway’s path has been annihilated by a large roundabout and dual carriageway. Nor can its alignment be picked up on the other side, where agricultural fields have erased any trace of the trackbed. Any walker will need to take a detour to re-join the line some way beyond.

The stretch between San Salvatore to Notabile station is some of the most evocative and tranquil on the old line. Although now in several fragmented sections, much of the former railway alignment has been reused as rural lanes.

Anyone wanting to explore the full length of these lanes will be faced with several dead-ends and need to retrace their steps, but it’s worth it if only to claim you’ve full railway experience! Please be respectful and do not trespass on neighbouring fields.

To re-join the line after San Salvatore, you need to walk a short distance west along the Mdina road, now a busy dual carriageway, and take the first lane on the left. This will re-join the trackbed at the lost site of Guard hut 12. Turning back towards San Salvatore station (you’ll need to return the same way) you’ll encounter some interesting sections of rural railway embankment. These are worth inspecting despite the lane ending in a dead-end where fields replace the line.

Back at the site of guard hut 12, the line continues as a lane towards Mdina for a short distance before hitting another dual carriageway. Great care is needed in crossing here, and the alignment of the railway cannot be immediately re-joined on the other side. Dense prickly pear and private land block the way here, and another detour is necessary.

Aerial view looking west from San Salvatore station. Beyond the roundabout the dashed section of the trackbed, around 300m, has now entirely vanished and is private property. Walkers of the line are forced to take a diversion here.

Aerial view looking north-west across the countryside between San Salvatore and Notabile stations. 1. Recommencement of the surviving trackbed. 2. Low stone-built embankment 3. Site of guard hut No.12. 4. bend in the railway alignment. 5. high embankment crossing a deep gully. 6. Concreted section of lane. 7. junction with Triq 12 ta Mejju and site of guard hut No.14 8. curve near Habel-Bellu 9. Section now private through vineyard. **10.** Underpass and embankment near The Xara Lodge

Looking towards Rabat from the easternmost accessible section of the line (1. on the annotated view). To get here you have to approach from the opposite direction and return again on the same route.

The railway line is now an attractive farm track raised up on a low embankment above the fields (2. on the annotated aerial view)

The view from the same point but the opposite direction, back towards Valletta. Public access stops where the track ends.

The stone embankments along this section of line are of second grade quality stonework with a rougher finish.

Looking back towards Valletta from the site of Guard hut No.14. Foundations of the structure may survive to the left of this view. (No.3 on the annotated aerial view)

Beyond guard hut No.12 the trackbed takes a subtle curve (No.4 on the annotated aerial view) before approaching the busy road to Mdina where guard hut No.13 was located.

The curve looking back in the direction of Valletta (No.4 on the annotated aerial view)

Although just 70m from the Mdina Road and site of guard hut No.13, another long diversion is required to re-join the line of the railway to visit this impressive, if overgrown, structure. A small ravine is spanned by a high embankment beneath the prickly pear thicket. It crosses from right to left, from the Valletta direction towards Rabat, and lands on the nearside before immediately entering a low cutting. (No.5 on the annotated aerial view)

Walkers will need to head away from Mdina along the main road and take the first lane on the right. The chapel of San Gakbu marks the next junction, where a right turn is required. Crossing a small stream and heading up a short hill, the railway line is encountered again where guard hut No.14 once stood.

Another evocative cul-de-sac is worth exploring by returning along the trackbed in the direction of San Salvatore. Towards the end of this dead-end there are sections of historic cutting wall, now somewhat overgrown but with some attractive retaining walls. Beyond this, rather obscured by vegetation, is another curiosity.

Here the railway was forced to traverse a narrow ravine. A high stone-bult embankment can be seen crossing it before the trackbed passes immediately into the low cutting on the Mdina side.

Returning to where we rejoined the line, at guard hut 14, a well built lane continues our railway route towards Mdina. The line takes a curve to the north around the derelict farmhouse at Habel-bellu. This is in private ownership, but is the location of a piece of railway graffiti that probably dates to around the time the railway first opened.

Where the railway cutting begins after the ravine the stone retaining walls are of very curious but attractive construction.

The shallow cutting passes through agricultural fields with glimpsed views of Mdina on the skyline. (No.5 on the annotated aerial view)

The overgrown character of this cutting is clear from this view in the Rabat direction. It’s hard now to believe that the railway once passed through here. The retaining walls on either side are of curiously different stonework.

Beyond the overgrown section the line of the railway continues uphill in a long straight ascent. The dome of Santa Marija tal-Virtu on the limits of Rabat is seen on the horizon. (No.6 on the annotated aerial view).

The view in the opposite direction, towards Valletta, and a short way further up the line. The concrete surface can be seen to end where the overgrown section begins (No.6 on the annotated aerial view).

The straight section of the railway line continues across the road at the site of guard hut No.14 (No.7 on the annotated aerial view). In the distance the track begins its penultimate turn towards Rabat and Notabile station.

Near Habel-Bellu farm the line bends to take a more westerly angle (No.8 on the annotated aerial view).

Continuing, the route will end in the gates to a vineyard and a surviving stone-built underpass is no longer accessible beyond it. A farm track leads southwards off the railway line close to Habel-bellu which should be followed, keeping right before the main road, Racecourse Road or Triq It-Tigrija, is met.

For anyone interested in viewing a further section of the continuing railway embankment it can be found by taking a short detour to the right, up Sqaq Tac-Cawla, where, at Xara Lodge, there was formerly a bridge over the road. The section of embankment on the east side of the road is most pronounced, and a small stone-built underpass is gradually disappearing below the level of the fields beyond it.

We return to the main road and continue towards Mdina. The embankment can be seen on the right crossing fields before entering an overgrown cutting on its final approach to Mdina. This was the steepest section of the line with a gradient of 1:50.

Access beyond Habel-bellu is limited and passes across private property. This view looks back towards Valletta from the end of the publicly accessible lane (No.9 on the annotated aerial view). .

This sgraffito drawing on the wall of Habel-bellu farmhouse appears to show one of the early Manning Wardle locomotives in original condition.

The carved locomotive is located on a wall at the top of the steps; a grandstand view of the first Malta Railway trains could have been enjoyed from here.

Close to the surviving underpass the railway embankment recommences before the line crossed over Sqaq Tac-Cawla. Little is known about the bridge that must once have carried the railway over the road here. Immediately over the road the line took its final curve northwards on the approach to Notabile station. This section of line is difficult to access and is on farmland.

Robbed of its embankment either side, this surviving underpass bridge is gradually becoming buried in an agricultural field. (No.10 on the annotated aerial view).

Attard remains

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Notabile remains