The Malta Railway, also popularly known locally as, Il-Vapur ta’ L-Art (the land ship), was the first and only mechanised overland public transport service in the Maltese Islands. Coming into operation in 1883, the railway consisted of a single-track line in metre gauge, departing from Valletta to a valley between Mdina and Mtarfa in Rabat. The train passed by several locations both for civil purposes and military ones. The latter was especially prominent in Mtarfa since there were various British military installations located there.

The Malta Railway Company was established in 1880 and obtained a governmental concession to construct a railway line linking Valletta with Mdina. Inaugurated on the 28th of February 1883, the Malta Railway, the whole journey, from Valletta to Rabat, was 11km long, stopping at a variety of locations.

The first guests on this inaugural train journey to Mdina were royally treated, entertained to a meal and heard speeches, including one from the Governor of Malta at the time, Sir Arthur Borton. The railway company offered its services to the public the next day and provided eight return journeys.

The train carriages were made of wood on iron frames and the seats were parallel to the line on both sides of an aisle. The service was originally illuminated by candles, but this was later changed to electricity, powered by batteries, in 1900.

The station itself was located on Ordnance Street (where the current Parliament building is situated). It consisted of the manager's office, the ticket office, a waiting hall, and two ramps going down to the train platforms.

The Valletta terminal was below the modern City Gate, which was formerly known as Porta Reale. The trains continued on from here, across the Valletta ditch into a tunnel that led to Argotti Gardens (Floriana Station), and then via another tunnel through St Philip Bastion (next to Portes des Bombes) to Hamrun Station.

The workshops at Hamrun had a double track, two platforms, and sidelines, and by 1900, they could handle significant engineering and maintenance work. Previously, the dockyard had been used for renovations and repairs. There were stops at Msida, Santa Venera, and a station with two platforms at Birkirkara.

Before San Salvatore Station in Attard, there were two further stops at Balzan and San Anton. The line next travelled via a 25-yard-long tunnel beneath the Attard-Mdina road before completing the final, steep ascent to Rabat, which served as the line's final terminus until 1900. In that year, a half-mile tunnel through Mdina was dug to extend the line to the Museum Station, which is located directly beneath the Roman Domus, also known as the Roman Villa.

The line continued for another 300 yards after the station before abruptly coming to a halt. This abrupt end was likely intended as part of a plan to extend the line to the Mtarfa Barracks and Hospital, but that plan was never implemented.

The entire trip from Valletta took 35 minutes, however, the return trip only took 30 minutes due to the majority of the route being downhill. First-class fares were one cent (1d) per mile, third-class fares were half a penny (12d) per mile, and employees travelling from Valletta to Mdina (and vice versa) paid a flat cost of two pence (2d), in addition to many concession rates. Over the years, none of the rates altered.

The railway passenger train made its last journey on the 31^st of March 1931. Beginning in 1922, there was intense competition coming from tramways, but it was ultimately the introduction of the motor bus service which caused the service to be discontinued.

The tunnel under St Philip’s Gardens was closed to commuters for 80 years and reopened for visitors in 2011. It has been open on various occasions during the event ‘Genna ta’ Gonna’ ever since.

Since J. Pearson & Sons Ltd sent three standard-gauge locomotives to Malta in 1904 as part of the construction of the Grand Harbour breakwater, technically speaking, the Malta Railway was not the only railroad that ran through the Maltese islands. However, when the breakwater was finished, they were transported back to England and never used by the general public. Additionally, the dockyard was home to a standard-gauge railway operated by the Royal Navy.

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