The Government Railway Museum in the village of Evrychou opened in 2016. He works in a former railway station building. Today we invite you to take a walk through the exhibition with the help of our photo report.
Exposition
The museum transports visitors to the beginning of the twentieth century, and antique furniture helps create the appropriate atmosphere. The two floors of the former station feature exhibits reflecting the history and heritage of the railway in Cyprus. Here you can see original documents, photographs, posters and drawings, models of locomotives, rolling stock and stations.
Outside the building, surrounded by a manicured garden, approximately 100 meters of original railway tracks can be seen. A handcart and a freight car are on display in the museum's courtyard. In the carriage you can see what was transported by rail at that time and how the internal space was organized.
Story
The idea to build a railway line in Cyprus was born back in 1878, when Great Britain had just gained control of the island. However, the uncertainty of the status of the British possession of Cyprus for a long time prevented these plans from being realized. The project, which began in 1903, ended on October 21, 1915 with the opening ceremony of the station in the village of Evrychou. The trip with all stops took an average of two hours: the morning train departed from Famagusta at 8:35 and arrived in Nicosia at 10:37. The trip cost 5 pence.
Trains ran twice a day, and on Sundays an additional train was introduced, on which the capital's residents went to the sea. In 1940, the schedule was expanded, trains began to run three times a day. The first departed from Famagusta at 6:10, the second at 7:50, the third at 14:15. From Nicosia, trains depart at 07:30, 13:45 and 14:55.
The train made stops at the following stations: Port of Famagusta - Famagusta - English Halt station - Engomi - Stilli - Gaiduras - Prastio - Pyrga - Genagra - Vitsada - Musulita - Maratovunos - Angastina - Monastyrskaya station - Epicho - Trakhoni - Mia Milia - Kaimakli – Nicosia – Agios Dometios – Airport – Kokkinotrimithia – Denia – Avlona – Peristerona – Katokopia – Argaki – Morphou – Nikita – Barazhi – Gazivera – Pendaya – Karkotis – Kalo Chorio – Skouriotissa – Flassou – Evrykhou.
The first section of the road, from Famagusta to Nicosia, was 57 km long and opened in 1905. The second section, Nicosia-Morphou, was 38 km long and began operating in December 1907. In June 1915, the third section, from Morphou to Evrychou, 120 km long, opened. Another 2.2 km of railway tracks were laid in Famagusta, from the port to the station.
Due to the lack of traffic flow, the Morphou-Evrychou section was practically not used, and in 1933 traffic from Kalo Chorio to Evrychou was stopped. Most of the cargo flow fell on the Famagusta - Nicosia route, where in 1948 a branch was put into operation connecting the Nicosia airfield with the main railway line.
The trains also carried local and international correspondence. The local one was handed over at different stations of the route, depending on the place of residence of the recipient, the international one was taken to the port of Famagusta, where it was picked up by ships of the Egyptian transport company Kedivial Mail.
In addition to cargo and passenger transportation, the Cypriot railway ran trains on special occasions: for “prestigious service” (now they would say “VIP service”) for British officials; “swimming trains” that took residents of Nicosia to the beaches of Famagusta on Saturdays; “trains to the races”, timed to coincide with races at the hippodrome. Finally, additional personnel were allowed in during the Orange Festival in Famagusta.
Motorization
By 1951, due to the development of the road network, the railway became completely unprofitable. The British administration decided to liquidate the railway connection, and on December 31, 1951, the last locomotive departed from Nicosia to Famagusta. The property was sold, and the dismantling of the tracks continued for more than a year.
In total, during the existence of the Cyprus railway, 7,348,643 passengers and 3,199,934 tons of cargo were transported along it.
Museum opening hours
April 16 – September 15 Mon – Sun: 9:30-17:00 September 16 – April 15 Mon – Sun 8:30-16:00 Inquiries: +357 22 933010.
On topic
More than 90% of Cypriot residents prefer cars to other modes of transport. The island has 658 cars for every 1,000 inhabitants, significantly higher than the EU average. More details were given here.
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