A Look Back Cyprus' Lost Railway

 

No trains run in Cyprus today; the only forms of transport are now via road, sea or by air: buses, taxis, boats and cruise vessels. But a long time ago there was another form of transport that was spread across all of Cyprus: the magnificent triumph of engineering that was the Cyprus Government Railway (CGR).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The CGR was a 2ft 6in-gauge line with a total of 78 miles, The construction of the line's first 37 miles began in April 1904 it was from Mağusa (Famagusta) to Lefkoşa (Nicosia) and opened in October the following year, the journey from Mağusa (Famagusta) to Lefkoşa (Nicosia) took about two hours. In December 1907 the line was extended to Güzelyurt (Morphou) and Lefke (Lefka) which was 29 miles west of Lefkoşa (Nicosia). Eight years later in June it was extended by 6 miles to Evrihu (Evrykhou), and thus the main line was completed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lefke (Çamlıköy) Station functioned as a place of exchance of services, goods and post office for the district of Lefke.

 

 

It ran for almost 50 years from October 1905 to December 1951, with a total of 39 stations, the most notable at Mağusa (Famagusta Station), Lefkoşa (Nicosia Station), Güzelyurt (Morphou Station), and Lefke (Çamlıköy Station also known as Kalohorio Station). The names were written in three languages English, Greek, and Turkish. The average speed of the trains ranged from 20 to 30 mph and two trains would leave per day.

The CGR trains were used in various ways by both authorities and the local population. It was used as a freight transfer system which served from the port of Famagusta. It transferred timber from the Troodos mountain to towns and cities all over Cyprus. It carried freight, ore and minerals on behalf of the Cyprus Mines Corporation from the Lefke Region. Some stations also operated as telephone centres, telegram offices and postal offices which meant that some of the railway stations acted as a place where you could exchange goods.
The railway closed the section between Lefke and Evrykhou in 1932, and withdrew both mail and passenger services west of Nicosia at the same time. The station at Lefke still continued to be the regional post office, and was serviced by road.  

 

 

 

 

 

                                                             

 

 

 

      
 

CYPRUS 1946 VICTORY PEACE FDC CARD WITH RAILWAY R.P.O LEFKE (KALOKHORIO) CANCEL POSTMARK

 

The CGR closed down because of financial reasons, the line never made a profit and by 1932 the western end of line was shortened by three stops. While from 1948 Nicosia was the final western stop which meant ten more stations were closed. This also wasn't helped by the new 6 ton diesel lorries which appear which the CGR couldn't compete against. As the railway system, engine and tracks were over 40 years old and it wasn't easy to upgrade each compared to their road bound equivalents.

The last train to ever run left was the engine no.1 which left from Nicosia station at 14:57 on the 31st December 1951 and arrived at Famagusta at 16:38. When it finished its journey it was lifted to its final resting place by army engineers from Dhekelia by a 20 ton crane. The dismantlement after the final run lasted for over two years and 10 locomotives, the tracks and other various items were sold to the company Meyer Newman & Co, amounting up to £65,626. The ''Locomotive 1'' train is still in its resting place in Polat Paşa Boulevard in Famagusta and is placed as a memorial to the CGR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lefke (Çamlıköy Station) was the west terminal of the rail network of Cyprus which connected Mağusa (Famagusta) with Lefke (Lefka) through a track that had a total range of 72 miles.
 

Çamlıköy Railway Station was used in a number of ways and served both the colonial authorities and the local population. Principle operations were as follows:
 

• It transferred timber from the Troodos Mountains to towns and cities across Cyprus.

• It carried freight, ore and minerals on behalf of the Cyprus Mines Corporation.

• The local railway station functioned as a place of exchange of goods and services, while it also operated as telephone centre, telegram office and postal office for the district of Lefke.