Updated Friday 1pm, adds Superintendence of Cultural Heritage reaction

Remains of a railway embankment and a unique bridge in Attard that cross paths with the central link project will be preserved, however, the Malta Railway Foundation is concerned the works will cause irreparable damage.

The foundations of the former San Salvatore station were uncovered last year, and work in the area was halted pending discussions with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, Paul Galea, from the Malta Railway Foundation, told Times of Malta. 

The Malta railway ran between 1883 and 1931 but the service was halted because it could not compete with buses.

The alarm was raised again this week as work close to the embankment and bridge in Attard, across the road from Mount Carmel hospital, resumed.

When contacted, a spokesperson for Infrastructure Malta said that the agency and the heritage watchdog were working together to ensure that the embankment and bridge alongside Mdina Road were “preserved”. 

He said that most of the embankment structure showing in photos uploaded on Facebook this week by concerned social media users was buried under a layer of soil and other material, possibly laid there when the nearby roads were formed in the past. 

Under the supervision of archaeologists approved by the SCH, IM uncovered the low walls of the embankment. These were surveyed by archaeologists and the SCH then requested that they remain exposed, so that they can be appreciated by the public. 

“IM modified the design of the new infrastructure in this area so that the embankment will remain visible alongside part of the project’s new 4.3-kilometre segregated cycling and walking path, connecting Mrieħel, Birkirkara, Balzan, Attard and Ta’ Qali. 

“The cycling and walking track will be built next to the embankment, but physically separated from it. Thus, while most of the embankment structure was previously hidden under soil and other material, it will now be reinstated to the way it looked when it was still in use almost a century ago.”

The spokesperson assured that the railway bridge, which was transformed into a road bridge in the past, will not be demolished or modified. 

“However, to improve the safety of this narrow part of Triq Il-Linja, IM will extend the bridge on one side, in the same profile as the existing one, without altering or impacting the old structure, which will remain fully visible on the other side, as it is today. 

“This improvement will widen this part of the road to two lanes to reduce collision risks. These works are being planned in consultation with SCH.”

But the Malta Railway Foundation is concerned about irreparable damage that will be caused to the bridge once it is extended. 

“Having part of the embankment exposed is a good thing, however, the widening of the bridge will cause irreparable damage to the original bridge.

“If IM is going to construct a new segregated cycling and walking path, it could have used the bridge and the embankment area for this purpose and constructed a dual carriageway for traffic, parallel to the bridge and, therefore, avoid altering the bridge,” Galea said.

“The extension of the bridge will only continue to fragment the existing fragments of the bridge and embankment.”  

Photo of remains of embankment taken this week. Photo: The Malta Railway Facebook page

In a post on Facebook on Friday, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage said that part of the embankment which appears to be damaged is due to services laid in the past.

No damage was caused to the embankment by the current works, which are infrastructural works related to:

* the removal of an existing sewage/drainage channel that cut into the original embankment;

* preparatory works to construct the pedestrian access which will be about 1.5 metres away from the embankment, that is being cleaned from debris and will later be restored where necessary.