Konrad Xuereb's metro proposal made headlines when he made it public a few years back. He compares that proposal to this most recent one. 

I am pleased that our four years of campaigning for a Malta metro have led to the government finally issuing its own outline plans.

Having been involved in major infrastructural projects in the UK, I have long been convinced that a mass transit system in Malta would significantly address the nation’s key challenges, namely population growth, sustainable transport and environmental protection.

Since 2018, I have carried out my own research on a metro for Malta, publishing my findings extensively in local journals to encourage national debate.

I am interested in comparing my research to that issued by Arup, the international engineering consultancy firm commissioned by the government. Arup has successfully completed key infrastructural projects worldwide and, in fact, I formed part of the firm’s London team prior to setting up my own practice.

At present – apart from the visualisations presented by the government –limited information seems to have been released so far on the Arup metro study. One would need to review their technical report in detail and view the project brief provided by the government before making informed comments. Nevertheless, some initial observations can be made.

Arup’s study estimates the metro to cost €6.2 billion. When one excludes contingency, the estimate is understood to be closer to the €4 billion mark I estimated for my metro proposal.

KonceptX’s metro system proposal.

Arup proposes a predominantly underground system with 25 stations and 35km length of tunnelling, compared to my underground metro plan with 20 stations and 35km length of tunnelling, plus 15km metro extension to Gozo. An underground metro makes it possible for stations to be located in urban centres, encouraging people to ditch their car and walk, cycle or catch shuttle buses to the stations.

Like my study, Arup proposes that the metro is built in three phases with similar timescales to complete the project.

Phasing a project is sensible as it allows the metro to start operating earlier.

Arup provides for three metro lines, suggesting that passengers may need to change trains to reach their end destinations. In contrast, I recommend a single metro line in my plan, allowing commuters to reach any destination without changing trains. This could also be beneficial to passengers with limited mobility as well as those with suitcases or children. 

I recommend extending the metro to Gozo- Konrad Xuereb

It is positive that Arup’s study locates the metro predominantly in Malta’s densely populated central zone, complemented by shuttle bus service. Yet, in my opinion, there is an opportunity to extend the metro line further to other urban centres, thus reducing the nation’s dependence on the private car more effectively.

In fact, my metro plan connects key urban, tourist and commercial hotspots, extending from Mellieħa to Birżebbuġa, thus providing a central spine across the island from north to south. When combined with non-stop shuttle buses from metro stations to other towns not captured by the metro, this provides an efficient public transport system for the entire island.

Arup also identifies the potential reuse of the excavated material from tunnelling possibly as general fill and/or part of reclamation projects. I reached a similar conclusion in my research, recommending that the inert waste could be used for land reclamation to form a nature reserve, complemented by an offshore wind farm and/or solar farm, with the renewable energy created connected to the grid.

Lastly and most importantly, unlike the government study, I recommend extending the metro to Gozo. Once Malta is embarking on such a project of national importance, it would be wise for the government to revisit its current strategy to connect Gozo to Malta with a car tunnel.

I have emphasised over the past years that if Gozo is to be connected to Malta with a permanent link, then this should be an extension of a national metro system rather than a car tunnel. A metro connection to Gozo would allow Gozitans to commute to the university, Mater Dei Hospital, the airport and other strategic nodes in barely half an hour and back on the same day, regardless of weather conditions.

There is still time to revert this decision so that a physical link to Gozo, if done, would only accommodate a metro tunnel. A Malta metro that extends to Gozo ticks all the right boxes. A car tunnel to Gozo does not fit the bill.