The introduction of a surface railway system is one of the options which the government is exploring in order to address traffic congestion on the island, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said this morning. 

The first Malta Railway folded in 1931.

Delivering the opening speech at the annual general conference of the Malta Chamber of Engineers, which is being held at Smart City, Mr Mizzi said Transport Malta was working on a national transport strategy. 

This would pave the way for transport policies till 2050, he said. The transport minister remarked that a preliminary report on overall the transport situation had already been presented last January.

Mr Mizzi added that the government was also working on a transport masterplan incorporating areas for intervention and respective mitigation measures. 

In this respect he welcomed a suggestion made by the President of the Chamber of Engineers Norman Zammit who said authorities needed to look  outside the box and come up with a new approach to address the increasing traffic congestion on Maltese roads. 

Mr Mizzi noted that the government was already exploring this new mode of mass transport, but gave no further details.

Replying to questions from Times of Malta, the transport minister clarified that no decisions had been taken yet on this proposal, but at the same time he said government was open to ideas. He also confirmed that a number of proposals had been submitted from the private sector. 

"At this stage we are looking at the options available with an open mind," the minister said. 

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