Italian Libya Railways was a group of small railways built in the Italian colony of Libya

History of Libya as Italian Colony

The History of Libya as an Italian colony began in the 1910s and lasted until February 1947, when Italy officially lost all the colonies of the former Italian Empire.-First years:...

 between the two World Wars.

History

The Kingdom of Italy

Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)

The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...

 built in Italian Libya

Italian Libya

Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...

 nearly 400 km of railways with 950 mm gauge.

Projects

The Italian authorities decided to give priority to the construction of road

Road

A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...

s in Libya when Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....

 took control of the Italian colonies. After 1926 no more railways were made in Libya, but during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the need of railways transport to the front during the war in the frontier with British Egypt

History of Egypt under the British

History of Egypt under the British refers to the era from 1882 when the British succeeded in defeating the Egyptian Army at Tel El Kebir in September and took control of the country to the 1952 Egyptian revolution which made Egypt a republic and when British advisers were expelled.-British...

 changed this approach.

Equipment

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

Northern Italy

Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...

.

Railways

There were only five small railways:

1) Tripoli-Zuara (118 km):

Stations	Central: Tripoli	5 km: Gurgi	6 km: Gargaresc	16 km: Zanzur	22 km: Saliad	30 km: Lemaia	35 km: EtTuebiaGarg	47 km: EzZauia	56 km: EsSabriaBu-Isa	64 km: Sorman	76 km: SabrathaVulpia	82 km: ZungaelAgelat	100 km: Mellita	118 km: Zuara

2) Bengazi-Barce (108 km):

Stations	Central: Bengazi	9 km: Lete	19 km: Benina	30 km: Regima	41 km: GabreGira	49 km: BuMariam	60 km: el-Abiar	76 km: SidiMaius	86 km: Sferi	91 km: Sleaia	97 km: SidiGibrin	108 km: Barce

3) Tripoli-Garian (90 km):

Stations	Central: Tripoli	5 km: Gurgi	6 km: Gargaresc	19 km: ElMisciasta	24 km: EnNgila	29 km: SuaniBenAdem	35 km: BirElMiamin	43 km: UmmelAdem	50 km: ElAzizia	83 km: HenscirElAbiat	90 km: Vertice31

4) Bengasi-Soluch (56 km):

Stations	Central: Bengazi	1 km: Bengasi Porto	2 km: Berca	10 km: Guarscia	14 km: GuarsciaBen	24 km: Nauaghia	32 km: NauaghiaB	40 km: Giardina	45 km: GiardinaVS	50 km: SoluchFV	56 km: Soluch

5) Tripoli-Tagiura (21 km):

Stations	Central: Tripoli	2 km: Tripoli Riccardo	3 km: Cavalleria	5 km: SidiMessri	9 km: Fornaci	11 km: AinZara	13 km: Sghedeida	15 km: ElMellaha	20 km: TagiuraFV	21 km: Tagiura VS

See also

• Railway stations in Libya
  Railway stations in Libya
  There are no railway stations in Libya, which as of 2011 has no operational railway network. Construction of a national rail system was suspended because of the 2011 Libyan civil war...
  
  
• History of Libya as Italian colony
  History of Libya as Italian Colony
  The History of Libya as an Italian colony began in the 1910s and lasted until February 1947, when Italy officially lost all the colonies of the former Italian Empire.-First years:...
  
  
• Italian Libya
  Italian Libya
  Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
  
  
• Eritrean Railway
  Eritrean Railway
  The Eritrean Railway is the only railway system in Eritrea. It was constructed between 1887 and 1932 by the Kingdom of Italy for the Italian colony of Eritrea, and connected the port of Massawa with Bishia near the Sudan border. The line was essentially destroyed by warfare in subsequent decades,...