Italian Libya Railways

The Kingdom of Italy built in Italian Libya nearly 400 km of railways with {{track gauge|950mm|lk=on|al=on}} gauge.{{cite web |url=http://www.orsomax.com/OEA/OEAvillaggi3.htm |title=Orsomax OEA villaggi |publisher=Orsomax.com |access-date=2011-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525111725/http://www.orsomax.com/OEA/OEAvillaggi3.htm |archive-date=2013-05-25 |url-status=dead }}

The Italian authorities decided to give priority to the construction of roads in Libya when Benito Mussolini took control of the Italian colonies. After 1926 no more railways were made in Libya, but during World War II the need of railways transport to the front during the war in the frontier with British Egypt changed this approach.

In spring 1941 the Italian government started the construction of a new railway between Tripoli [https://dadfeatured.blogspot.com/2018/10/was-capital-of-italian-libya.html Italian Tripoli] and Benghazi, but by the end of 1942 all was stopped because of the Italian defeat in north Africa: only 18 km were done in Cirenaica.[http://www.gips.unisi.it/files/wp18.pdf Le ferrovie coloniali italiane in Libia (in Italian)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722063813/http://www.gips.unisi.it/files/wp18.pdf |date=2011-07-22 }} In the same period was started the enlargement of the "Tripoli-Zuara" until the border with Tunisia (and also these works was blocked by the Italian defeat at El Alamein in November 1942).

Additionally it is noteworthy to pinpoint that an international project was studied for decades, but never done because of excessive financial difficulties:

• Italian "Transaharan railway" (Tripoli-Tchad/Camerun) between Libia and the Gulf of GuineaAstuto, Riccardo. "Questioni ferroviarie africane". Rassegna economica dell'Africa italiana. Roma. Vol. XXIX. p.34

In Libya the first locomotives were the steam locomotives R.401 and R.301, but the most successful were the R.302 produced in northern Italy.

There were only five small railways:

1) Tripoli-Zuara (118 km):

2) Bengazi-Barce (108 km):

3) Tripoli-Garian (90 km):

4) Bengasi-Soluch (56 km):

5) Tripoli-Tagiura (21 km):

File:Tripoli Stazione Centrale.jpg|Tripoli Railway Station in 1940

File:Benghazi Central Station.jpg|Benghazi Railway Station in 1930

File:Barce Stazione Centrale.jpg|Barce Railway station in 1930

File:Benghazi Italiana.JPG|Italian Benghazi with port railways

File:Fiat Train Passing in to Cyrenaica.jpg|Fiat "Littorina" passing in Cirenaica

File:Fiat train at Tripoli's railway central station.jpg|Fiat train at Tripoli Station

File:Central railway station of Tripoli.jpg|Old steam train at Tripoli Station in 1920

File:Benghazi Railway System after World War II.jpg|Destruction of Benghazi station in 1943

File:Janzour railway station.jpg|Janzour Railway Station in 2016

• Railway stations in Libya
• History of Libya as Italian colony
• Italian colonial railways
• Italian Libya
• Eritrean Railway

{{reflist}}

{{Italian Libya}}

{{Italian colonial empire}}

Category:Italian Libya

Category:Rail transport in Libya

Category:History of Cyrenaica

Category:History of Tripolitania

Category:Italy–Libya relations

Category:950 mm gauge railways in Libya