19/05/2025 13:45:00

Launch of the Malta Railway coins

The Central Bank of Malta issued a set of three silver coins commemorating the Malta Railway. The coins were launched on 15 May 2025, during a ceremony held at the Malta Railway Museum in Birkirkara.

The coins have a face value of €10, which are struck in 0.999 silver and have a weight of 31.10g. They have a diameter of 38.61mm, manufactured in proof quality, and are presented in specially designed boxes. On the obverse, the coins bear the national coat of arms of the Republic of Malta. On the reverse, the coins depict locomotive engines used in Malta between 1883 and 1931. The coin reverse was designed by Miriam Mazzalli. The coins were minted at the Royal Dutch Mint and are limited to just six hundred sets.

The first proposal for a railway in Malta was submitted in 1870. In June 1879, the "Malta Railway Company Ltd", was formed and was granted a 99-year government concession to build a railway line between Valletta and Mdina. The railway was formally inaugurated on 28 February 1883. After initial success, custom dwindled, and in April 1890 the company wound down its business. The government resumed the railway service in February 1892. In 1895, plans were made to extend the railway line beyond Notabile Station.

A tunnel was excavated under Mdina to enable the railway to tap passenger traffic from Mtarfa barracks. Museum station, named after the Roman Domus museum in Rabat, was also built. The railway extension cost around £20,000 and was inaugurated on 9 June 1900. Motor buses, introduced in Malta in the 1920s, dealt the railway a fatal blow. The railway service was terminated on 2 April 1931.

Photo: Melvin Bugeja/Central Bank of Malta

Back to Archive