Section of Victoria Lines collapses, prompting calls for urgent repairs
Friends of the Victoria Lines trail urge swift repairs at one of the most popular spots along the trail
A popular section of the historic Victoria Lines has collapsed prompting calls for “urgent” restoration works to be undertaken.
The NGO Friends of the Victoria Lines Trail highlighted the incident in a social media post on Saturday saying part of the infantry wall on the Madliena side of Wied il-Faħam has collapsed.
Photos from the site show masonry from the wall blocking strewn across the steps and partially blocking the trail.
NGO co-founder Ray Cachia Zammit said this particular section of the trail, known as the Wied il-Faħam stopwall, “is one of the most striking sections of the Victoria Lines and also one of the most visited”.
He added the incident has been reported to the Restoration and Preservation Department in the Ministry for Arts, Culture and National Heritage.
The point where the wall collapsed along the section in Wied il-Faham. Photo: Ray Cachia ZammitCachia Zammit pointed out the “urgent need” for repairs while noting that the department is “operating under significant constraints, with limited resources and a high volume of both ongoing and ad hoc restoration requests”.
Originally known as the North West Front, the late 19th century military fortifications span 12 km across the width of Malta along a natural geographical barrier, from Madliena to Binġemma and the limits of Rabat.
In 1998 the government had submitted the Victoria Lines to the UNESCO for consideration as a World Heritage Site but they currently remain on the UNESCO tentative list.
Various landmarks and fortifications along the lines are officially Grade 1 listed buildings.
At the end of 2024, the Malta Tourism Authority had reissued a tender for the drafting of a conservation management plan for the Victoria Lines including the surrounding areas and facilities. A similar tender had been issued in February 2024 but had been subsequently withdrawn.
The tender was awarded to EMDP Ltd and work on the plan is "in progress", including a detailed drone survey of the whole line of fortifications, Cachia Zammit said.