Misr Railroad Station, Alexandria, Egypt, built in 1876. [Click on images to enlarge them.]
The Alexandria to Cairo railway was opened in 1856. The idea of a line to allow British passengers to cross from Alexandria to Suez (and vice versa) had been first mooted in the 1830s. The intention was be to cut the time and discomfort which passengers had to endure via the Cape of Good Hope. However it was not until 1851 that the Khedive of Egypt contracted none other than Robert Stephenson to construct the line between Alexandria and the Rosetta branch of the Nile (completed in 1854) and thence on to Cairo. An extension to Suez was completed in 1858.
The main station in Alexandria today was built in 1876. The original terminus was at Sidi Gabar a couple of miles to the East. It was built in 1854 and is shown on a postcard. It was replaced by a modern station in the 1970s. Misr station is presently undergoing a major restoration but still evinces its Victorian heritage. In 1869 the Suez Canal was opened and the Alexandria-Cairo-Suez railway line lost most of its clientele destined to and from British India.
Related material
- Victorian Railways (homepage)
- The Victorian Railroad Station — a New Building Type (homepage)
- The British Empire (homepage)
- New Passages to India
First photograph by Tim Willasey-Wilsey. The second comes from a period postcard. You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.
Last modified 31 July 2020