A railway museum will be housed at the former train station in Birkirkara.
The local council has been granted a planning permit to turn a childcare centre in a public garden into the Birchircara (the old way of writing Birkirkara) Historical Malta Railway Museum.
The permit also authorises the council to refurbish the garden, instal a lift, reposition an old train wagon and place a kiosk.
The project was considered to be acceptable especially because the proposed restoration works were “aimed to enhance the existing gardens and buildings”.
The job will incorporate the unblocking of windows, removal of metal fixtures, cleaning of masonry and the repair of very badly deteriorated stone, timber and steel elements.
The garden, popularly known as l-Istazzjon, falls within Birkirkara’s urban conservation area. It dates back to the late 19th century, during the British period.
The case report notes that the garden and its buildings are not scheduled but Mepa was considering the scheduling of the “valuable historic” railway station.
The area is also archaeologically sensitive because “ancient tombs and other archaeological features” can be found in the vicinity.
The railway station was considered to be the main hub where trains to Rabat and Valletta met.
The railway consisted of a single line, from Valletta to Mdina, which extended for more than 11 kilometres, climbing 150 metres. It ran between 1883 and 1931.
First- and third-class carriages were originally illuminated by candles but changed to battery-powered lights in 1900. When the railway stopped running in 1931, 34 carriages were being used.
The works aim to enhance existing gardens and buildings
Earlier this year, the Floriana local council was granted a permit to place a full scale model of a locomotive on rails on the disused bridge that used to form part of the railway line.
The plans include replacing a wall blocking the former railway tunnel with a gate, which lies just below Notre Dame Ravelin, an outside development zone.
The tunnel and bridge were the exit and entry points into the Floriana lines. The tunnel and viaduct in Floriana date back to the late 19th century.
The train used to pass under City Gate, in Valletta, to Portes des Bombes. A second tunnel, passing under Rabat and Mdina on the way to Mtarfa, was inaugurated in 1900.
The Floriana tunnel has remained unused since the end of the railway service, except for a section that was turned into a large air raid shelter during the war and some parts that hold underground cables.