The Nationalist Party’s proposal for a “state-of-the-art” metro system is expected to cost at least €2.3 billion and would be delivered over a period of four legislatures.
The proposals, which the PN is expected to launch in the coming days, constitute a long-term attempt to solve the problem of traffic congestion on Malta’s roads and move away from the dependence on cars.
Sources close to the Nationalist Party said this was the party’s vision for the next stage in the development of Malta’s transport system.
The proposals are expected to include a number of measures implemented over the short and medium terms. The idea is to gradually create a “multi-modal” system – the use of different but interconnecting means of transport.
Under the PN plan, electric metro lines would run both above and below ground, depending on the physical restrictions of the various localities.
The metro would be connected to other modes of transport, such as public buses and park-and-ride facilities across the island, which together would allow commuters to choose from a variety of options.
The metro system would be electrically powered using the latest technologies, allowing wireless rails in all or part of the network. This would make the system cleaner and quieter than buses and cars.
Our country is jammed and our mobility is restricted. Little wonder traffic is a number one concern
The project would be implemented over four phases, with the first phase to be delivered during a PN government’s first term in office.
Based on a mainly surface rail network, the estimated cost would be in the region of €2.3 billion but this would be expected to rise according to the extent to which the system goes underground.
“Few things are as frustrating as not being able to move around freely from one place to another. Yes, this is what we have come to,” party leader Simon Busuttil says in his foreword to the soon-to-be-published document proposing the “state-of-the-art metro line” as the backbone of a new transport system. “Our country is jammed and our mobility is restricted. Little wonder that traffic has become a number one concern for people in Malta.”
Dr Busuttil first referred to the idea during his speech at the Granaries at 2016’s Independence Day celebrations. He spoke of a light railway system connecting various nodes in Malta and travel through a tunnel to Gozo reducing the need for cars and providing a faster alternative.
“Crucially, the new system will prioritise efficiency and reliability so as to make it obvious to commuters that it suits them to leave their private cars at home, because they will get to their destination faster,” said a PN source involved in the plan, stressing it would also be cheaper.
The system will “increase accessibility and reduce social exclusion”. It will improve environmental and public health, create new employment and promote economic development “through the creation of more attractive urban environments in different localities across Malta and Gozo”.
A recent university study concluded that traffic costs the country €274 million a year, and this will rise to €317 million by 2020 unless the government and transport authorities improve public transport, reduce private car ownership and change school hours.
€2,000 to scrap old car
Along with the metro system, the Nationalist Party is also proposing a car reduction scheme, through which vehicle owners would be offered a financial incentive to encourage them to give up their old car or change it to a newer one.
A €2,000 voucher would be granted upon the surrender of the car for scrappage. The voucher may then be redeemed against a discount on the car registration tax, provided that the newly purchased car is not more than four years old.
People holding the voucher may trade it in to car dealers for cash or a discount on the cost of a new or used car. The dealer can then use the vouchers when trading cars not older than four years.
The expectation is that the scheme will lead to the scrappage of more than one car for every new one registered, leading to an overall reduction in the number of cars on the road.
This scheme will make it more attractive for those who own old cars to give them up for scrap, because they will earn a minimum value of €2,000.
This value is higher than that offered by scrappage schemes that have been run so far.
The objective is that dealers will also view this as an incentive to help make the scheme a success, leading to a rapid reduction in the average age of the cars on Maltese roads.