Bonett’s transport plan: Underwhelming but practical

Ever since the 2021 Malta Metro plans for a fully-fledged underground rail system were resurrected with a caveat, many were expecting a significantly scaled down version. People also understood that a new system would not be exclusively underground and which was less extensive but still covered key urban areas around the two harbours.

So, when Chris Bonett finally unveiled the new transport plan with just a single line between St Paul’s Bay and the airport that passed through Valletta, Qormi and Tal-Qroqq, many were left dumbfounded. This was not Malta Metro V2 but a scale model of it.

The new plan, dubbed Malta in Motion, was underwhelming. The rail line did not even touch the congested urban area from St Julian’s to Sliema to Gżira and lower Msida. The dissonance between public expectation and what Bonett unveiled was glaring, more so when the backbone of Bonett’s plan became the bus network.

Public expectation was not borne out of nowhere. When the 2021 plans were unveiled with all pomp on the eve of an election, appetites were whet and expectations raised. They were soon dashed once the election was over and the reality of an expensive and overtly ambitious plan started to bite.

We were told the €6.3 billion price tag for a three-line metro that had 25 stations across a wide array of towns was too high. It suddenly became unfeasible and the plans were quietly shelved until Bonett was appointed transport minister in January 2024. By March 2025, Bonett told parliament a feasibility study to determine the “most financially feasible” mass transport system for Malta was underway.

The result of that new study was unveiled last week, ostensibly on the eve of another general election. And that is where the problem lies. It seems no one in government took note of the saying ‘once bitten, twice shy’. Any mass transport plan unveiled by the same government on the eve of another election would undoubtedly be greeted with cynicism. Why would this time be any different from last time, especially when the finance minister keeps questioning the financial feasibility of mass transport plans (he does so again today in an interview with MaltaToday)?

The Labour government has to admit it has a credibility gap to bridge on mass transportation before it can convince people of its plans and its willingness to see them through.

It’s a pity that Bonett had to be the one to bell the cat, since he was not in government when the 2021 metro roadshow was unveiled. Today, he has to carry the can for the excesses of his predecessor. Had today’s plan been unveiled in 2021, it would have been a masterstroke, providing the first step for a holistic transport strategy that seeks to integrate various modes of transport.

Because what Bonett unveiled last week may be underwhelming but it contains the seeds for the behavioural change that is required over a 15-year period. It is what the country needs and it is a pity that it had to be announced on the eve of an election.

It is a pity as well that the Nationalist Party has poured cold water on the plan, especially since Alex Borg had been the one to suggest the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the prime minister and himself to commit either side to an agreed mass transport plan.

Traffic congestion will not resolve itself. It requires people to rely less on their private car to get to work, to reach entertainment venues and commute to shopping districts. And to do so, alternatives need to be available, timely and efficient. No one solution will provide the silver bullet, which is something that Bonett’s plan recognises and embraces, hence its practicality.

Admittedly, Bonett’s plan may not be perfect. The exclusion of the Sliema area from the rail route needs to be re-evaluated, especially since prioritising buses in this congested urban environment will always be problematic given the width of Malta’s roads.

The plan’s excessive dependence on buses means that if interchanges and feeder routes are not working efficiently, users will simply switch off—the experience of interchanges during the Arriva years was very bad and is still fresh in people’s minds.

Furthermore, for an integrated transport system to work well, a modern transport app, similar to the Transport for London app, that gives commuters real-time information on buses, ferries and rail, is a sine qua non to ensure seamless transit. Unfortunately, this integrated transport app has long been promised but never delivered.

The angels from the sky tried to piss on Bonett’s party last week. We sympathise with him—it was unfair and frustrating. But in a way it was also symbolic of the traffic dilemma—everyone wants something done but everyone is ready to piss on who proposes anything that remotely suggests leaving the car at home.