The
Cyprus Government Railway
was a
2 ft 6 in
(
762 mm
)
narrow gauge
railway
network that operated in
Cyprus
from October 1905 to December 1951. With a total length of 76 miles (122 km), there were 39 stations, stops and halts, the most prominent of which served
Famagusta
,
Prastio Mesaoria
,
Angastina
,
Trachoni
,
Nicosia
,
Kokkinotrimithia
,
Morphou
,
Kalo Chorio
and
Evrychou
. The CGR was closed down due to financial reasons. An extension of the railway which was built to serve the
Cyprus Mines Corporation
operated until 1974.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
Background
[
edit
]
When the first British
High Commissioner
, Sir
Garnet Wolseley
, arrived in Cyprus in 1878, he was keen to construct a railway on the island but the project did not come to fruition for a long time, due to the uncertainty of the length of the British
mandate
in Cyprus. In July 1903, Frederick Shelford ? on behalf of the
Crown Agents
? submitted a feasibility study for the construction of a railway line that would originate at Famagusta and terminate at
Karavostasi
via
Nicosia
and
Morphou
, at a total cost of £141,526.
[1]
1906 map of the railroad
Construction
[
edit
]
The proposal was approved in November 1903 and the earthworks began in May 1904; the existing line at
Famagusta
harbour was extended South to
Varosha
by 1 mile (1.6 km) and Section 1 [
Famagusta-
Nicosia
, 36 miles (58 km)] was inaugurated on 21 October 1905 by
High Commissioner
, Sir
Charles Anthony King-Harman
. The construction of Section 2 [
Nicosia-
Morphou
, 24 miles (39 km)] began in July 1905 and was inaugurated was on 31 March 1907. However, three years later, the Railway was already operating at a loss and so an operation study for the CGR was conducted by Bedford Glasier. The study was published in January 1913 and suggested the construction of the terminus at
Evrychou
. So, the construction of Section 3 [
Morphou-Evrychou
, 15 miles (24 km)] began in November 1913 and it was inaugurated on 14 June 1915.
[2]
Motive Power
[
edit
]
Locomotive No1 outside Famagusta Station
Locomotives
[
edit
]
Summary of the 12 locomotives:
[3]
Railcars
[
edit
]
Summary of the 9 railcar units:
[4]
Operation and uses
[
edit
]
A CGR ticket
Four new
Nasmyth Wilson
locomotives on the bridge near
Mia Milia
By the time the total 76 miles (122 km) of the CGR had been completed, running costs had spiralled to £199,367, which remained constant throughout the operation period of the line.
The Cyprus Government Railway was used in a number of ways and served both the colonial authorities and the local population. Principal operations were as follows:
- It served the port of Famagusta, as a freight transfer system.
- It transferred timber from the
Troodos Mountains
to towns and cities across Cyprus.
- It carried freight, ore and minerals on behalf of the
Cyprus Mines Corporation
.
- The local railway stations functioned as a place of exchange of goods and services, while some also operated as telephone centres, telegram offices and/or postal offices.
- CGR trains carried mail, which arrived in Famagusta via the Egyptian
Khedivial Mail Line
[5]
(1912?1939).
The existence of a railway in Cyprus brought many benefits to the population of Cyprus. However, during the first years of its operation, many reportedly viewed the railway as a spectacle to be viewed rather than a means of transportation. Overall, the CGR carried 3,199,934 tons of commercial goods and freight and 7,348,643 passengers during its history.
The various stations were designated by large trilingual (
Greek
,
Turkish
and
English
) white signs. The CGR owned a total of 12 locomotives, 17 coaches and about 100 multi-purpose wagons, 50 of which were purchased from Egypt and Palestine. The CGR employed around 200 people in total.
Railway Stations Halts and Sidings
[
edit
]
Harbour Section
[
edit
]
Section 1
[
edit
]
Section 2
[
edit
]
Section 3
[
edit
]
Events
[
edit
]
During the 46 years of its operation, the CGR was involved in various events concerned with the
modern history of Cyprus
:
- During the
Enosis
riots in October 1931, 120 yards (110 m) of line were torn up, as the railway was regarded as a symbol of British colonial rule.
- The transportation of
Allied
troops to and from Famagusta, Nicosia Airport and Xeros during both World Wars.
- The track was targeted by the
Axis
powers during
World War II
.
- The railway was used for the transportation of a large number of the 50,000
Jewish
refugees to Karaolos
internment camps
, during 1946?1949.
Closure
[
edit
]
The line never made a profit and by 1932 the Western terminus station was at Kalokhorio Lefka, while from 1948 onwards it only reached Nicosia aerodrome. After World War II the ramshackle equipment and competition from the improved road network led the Government to the decision to definitely terminate the CGR. The last train departed from Nicosia Station at 14:57 on 31 December 1951 and arrived at Famagusta at 16:38. The process of dismantling lasted up to March 1953.
[2]
After an auction was announced in
Cyprus Gazette
, 10 of the 12 locomotives, the tracks and part of the rolling stock were sold to the company
Meyer Newman & Co
, for the price of £65,626. Locomotive 1 was preserved as a monument outside
Famagusta
Station. Most of the former CGR employees were re-employed in state services and semi-governmental organisations.
Some wagons were bought by locals, acquiring novel uses, while the equipment was distributed amongst seven governmental departments. The stations were either demolished or turned into police stations (
Angastina
,
[1]
Kokkini Trimithia
) or Public Works Department warehouses (
Famagusta
,
Nicosia
); Morphou Station became a grain storehouse, while at Evrychou it operated as a sanitary centre and a forest worker dormitory.
Heritage
[
edit
]
The Cyprus Railways Museum in Evrychou
A large part of the Nicosia-Famagusta motorway was built along the former railway track. Engine 1 can now be seen in front of the station building in Famagusta. Wagon 152 was restored and placed in the linear park in
Kaimakli
in 1995, then after a restoration it was moved to an exhibition featuring CGR relics in the Cultural Center of Laiki Bank in Nicosia. After a recent restoration work in 2012, this van together with a hand-powered trolley are now under a new shelter at Evrychou station with informative posters about its past and present. Evrychou station and its surroundings were rebuilt to become the Cyprus Railway Museum, with a total of about 100 metres (330 ft) of new tracks laid in 2010?2012, in a Y-shape, almost with the original
2 ft 6 in
(
762 mm
) gauge. The museum finally opened in November 2014.
Tracks (more precisely: non-continuous portions of tracks) have also been laid in the Kaimakli area, but with different gauges: about 280 m with a 1380 mm and 18 m with a 595 mm gauge from the Agiou Ilaririonos street to the West and to the East directions, respectively. There are also posters with old pictures and time-tables exhibited along this
linear park
in Kaimakli. In
Agios Dometios
, where another short portion of the former railway line near Nicosia lies to the South from the
Green Line
after 1974, part of the railway line has recently become a linear park and a multi-purpose centre.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- Ο Κυπριακ?? Κυβερνητικ?? Σιδηρ?δρομο? (1905-1951)
/
The Cyprus Government Railway (1905?1951)
by Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra; Nicosia, 2006.
External links
[
edit
]
History of rail transport in Europe
|
---|
Sovereign states
| |
---|
States with limited
recognition
| |
---|
|
---|
Sovereign states
| |
---|
States with limited
recognition
| |
---|
Dependencies and
other entities
| |
---|
Other entities
| |
---|