We Maltese are all united today – in one long, nationwide traffic jam.

An eight-kilometre commute from Sliema to Paola last week took me over 45 minutes, a journey which would only take 10 minutes if we had an efficient mass-transit system in place.

The recent government announcement that a metro is no longer a priority is, thus, bewildering and gives a diminished impression of the government’s leadership skills.

A long-term vision for a mass-transit system is the only solution to get the country moving forward again.

The Malta metro

As I have been advocating for the past five years, effective mass-transit systems are designed to transport the largest number of passengers along the shortest possible routes, with stations conveniently located in dense urban centres, such as Mosta Dome piazza. Such systems are usually complemented by a network of buses and other modes of green transport, such as cycling. 

My research has demonstrated that an underground metro would offer a faster, cheaper and healthier commute, thus enabling people to reduce their dependence on their cars. Metro stations would be established in town centres, with escalators and lifts leading to underground platforms. The central locations of these stations would allow people to walk or cycle to the stations.

KonceptX Malta metro system proposal – concept route. COPYRIGHT: KONCEPTX

I have proposed the feasibility of a Malta metro project, consisting of a single line and built in three phases. Phase 1 would extend from Mellieħa to the airport. Phase 2 would connect St Paul’s Bay to the airport. Phase 3 would extend to Gozo, thus nullifying the need of a car tunnel, should a permanent connection be deemed necessary between the islands.

Capital cost and duration to build the metro

The government repeatedly mentions that the capital cost for a metro would be over €6.2 billion and would take nearly 20 years to complete. These figures can be traced to a study issued by foreign consultants presumably in line with an official brief provided to them by the government.

Based on our own research, however, the capital expenditure for our proposed single-line Malta metro project would be considerably less, circa €4 billion.

The status quo is unsustainable and of huge detriment to the environment, with toxic fumes from car emissions and agricultural land lost to road-widening- Konrad Xuereb

Furthermore, the project I have proposed could be built in three distinct stages, enabling it to start much sooner.

Phase 1 would be 25km long and  link Mellieħa, St Paul’s Bay, Buġibba/Qawra, Pembroke/Paceville, St Julian’s, Sliema, university/Mater Dei Hospital, Valletta, Paola, Tarxien, Żejtun, Birżebbuġa and the airport. This would cost circa €2 billion and could be completed in five years – merely the length of one legislature. Phase 1 would address the traffic woes of 50 per cent of daily commuters.

Phase 2 would be 10km long  and would link the airport with Qormi, Mrieħel, Birkirkara, Mosta and St Paul’s Bay, thus closing the loop. This would cost circa €900 million and could be completed in two years.

Phase 3 would extend the metro beyond Mellieħa to connect Gozo via Xewkija, Victoria and, possibly, Marsalforn, thus allowing Gozitans to commute to university, Mater Dei Hospital or the airport in merely half an hour. This would cost circa €1.1 billion and could be completed in three years.

KonceptX Malta metro system proposal – aerial photo. COPYRIGHT: KONCEPTX

The above costs and timelines are backed both by the research we published and by similar international metro projects. For instance, the 40km underground Madrid MetroSur project, with 28 stations and two depots, took just five years to build. It was launched in 2003 and cost €1.6 billion, including trains.

Environment and waste

The Malta metro project I have proposed would generate approximately four million cubic metres of inert waste. Subject to detailed environmental studies, this waste could be used for land reclamation to form a nature reserve complemented by wind and solar farms generating renewable energy to offset the energy demands of the metro system.

A similar approach was adopted in the recently completed Elizabeth Line in London where 4.5 million tonnes of inert waste excavated to form the metro line was used for land reclamation in the River Thames Estuary to create the Wallasea Island nature reserve.

The status quo in Malta is unsustainable and of huge detriment to the environment, with toxic fumes from car emissions and agricultural land lost to road-widening. Staying put is not an option environmentally.

Malta 2030 – yes we can

A metro project would straddle a couple of legislatures and may entail a period of discomfort to the nation until it is completed. However, the long-term sustainable benefits and the far-improved quality of life for future generations would greatly outweigh this short-term pain.

Konrad Xuereb

The country needs to be bold enough to implement this long-term vision for a mass-transit system. It is the only way forward to a healthier, sustainable and quality-driven future.

Konrad Xuereb is the founding director at KonceptX, an architectural and structural engineering firm with offices in London and Malta.