Italian Libya Railways

The five railways in Italian Libya.

Italian Libya Railways was a group of small railways built in the Italian colony of Libya between the two World Wars.

History

The Kingdom of Italy built in Italian Libya nearly 400 km of railways with 950 mm (3 ft 1 ³⁄₈ in) gauge.^[1]

Projects

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 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.^[2]

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.

Railways

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):

Gallery

• 

  Tripoli Railway Station in 1940

• 

  Benghazi Railway Station in 1930

• 

  Barce Railway station in 1930

• 

  Italian Benghazi with port railways

• 

  Fiat "Littorina" passing in Cirenaica

• 

  Fiat train at Tripoli Station

• 

  Old steam train at Tripoli Station in 1920

• 

  Destruction of Benghazi station in 1943

References

1. ↑ "Orsomax OEA villaggi". Orsomax.com. Retrieved 2011-10-20. 
2. ↑ Le ferrovie coloniali italiane in Libia (in Italian)

See also

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

Italian Libya
Governors	Italo Balbo Rodolfo Graziani Italo Gariboldi Ettore Bastico Giovanni Messe
General History	Italian invasion of Libya History of Libya as Italian colony Italian Libya Pacification of Libya Western Desert Campaign North African Campaign Allied occupation of Libya 1945 Tripoli pogrom Italian refugees from Libya
Provinces	Tripoli Province Misurata Province Benghazi Province Derna Province Military Territory of the South
Related articles	Italian settlers Italian Tripolitania Italian Cyrenaica Imperial Italy Italian North Africa Italian Libya Railways Railway stations in Libya Italian Benghazi Via Balbia Via della Vittoria Arch of the Fileni Tripoli Grand Prix Tripoli International Fair Linea dell'Impero Postage stamps of Italian Libya Frontier Wire (Libya) Italo-Turkish War Muslim Association of the Lictor Fort Capuzzo Auto-Saharan Company Fourth Shore
Colonial troops	Italian Libyan Colonial Division 1st Libyan Division "Sibelle" 2nd Libyan Division "Pescatori" Maletti Group Ascari del Cielo Paratroops Italian Africa Police Bands Zaptié Savari Spahis Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali

Italian Empire
Subdivisions	Western Mediterranean Southeastern France Monaco Corsica Balkans Albanian Kingdom Islands of the Aegean Kingdom of Croatia Dalmatia Greece Hellenic State Principality of the Pindus Ionian Islands Italian Province of Lubiana Kingdom of Montenegro Italian East Africa Italian Eritrea Eritrea Governorate Italian Somalia Somalia Governorate Italian Oltre Giuba British Somaliland Italian Ethiopia Amhara Governorate Harrar Governorate Galla-Sidamo Governorate Scioa Governorate Italian Libya Libya Cyrenaica Tripolitania Fezzan Far East Italian concession of Tientsin Concessions of Italy in China Planned expansion Egypt Majorca Tentative to occupy French Somaliland Kenya Sudan Malta Ticino, Valais and Grisons Tunisia	The Italian empire before WWII is shown in red. Pink areas were annexed/occupied for various periods between 1940 and 1943. Italian concessions and forts in China are not shown.
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Infrastructure	Mogadishu–Villabruzzi Railway Ethio-Djibouti Railways Eritrean Railway Asmara-Massawa Cableway Railway stations in Eritrea Railway stations in Somalia Via Balbia Via della Vittoria Linea dell'Impero Italian Libya Railways Libyan Railway stations History of Italian colonial railways
Political concepts	Greater Italy Mare Nostrum New Roman Empire Spazio vitale Fourth Shore Third Rome
Police and military	Eritrean Ascari Italian African Police Bands (Italian Army irregulars) Zaptié Dubats Savari Spahis Royal Corps of Colonial Troops Royal Corps of Somali Colonial Troops Ascari del Cielo Paratroops Italian 1st Eritrean Division Italian 2nd Eritrean Division 1st Libyan Division Sibelle 2nd Libyan Division Pescatori Italian Libyan Colonial Division Italian Somali Divisions (101 and 102) Maletti Group Legione Redenta Italian guerrilla units (A.O.I.)
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