Gozo tunnel lobby group issues Budget 2017 proposals

Group calls for the reintroduction of cargo ferry service, ‘fast ferry’ service and further geological studies on the possibility of a tunnel between the two islands

Front Favur il-Mina was set up  by Gozitan students and is backed by Gozitan MPs Franco Mercieca (PL) and Chris Said (PN)
Front Favur il-Mina was set up by Gozitan students and is backed by Gozitan MPs Franco Mercieca (PL) and Chris Said (PN)

The lobby group Front Favur il-Mina has issued three proposals to the government for the coming Budget.

The group is proposing the re-introduction of a ferry service connecting Gozo to the centre of Malta, which they say will benefit seafarers as well as ease traffic in the northern and central parts of the island. The service should be operated ‘regularly’ as it was until last December.

A second proposal involves setting up a ‘fast ferry’ service, which would offer a faster link between Gozo and central Malta and which the group says is necessary in the short and medium term to ‘alleviate the situation’ for those that frequently cross between the two islands. The group said that such a service would reduce the travelling time by half and that any such service should also cater the ever-growing demand.

Finally, the group has also said that while it welcomes the fact that tenders were recently issues for the gathering of geological data on the Malta-Gozo tunnel, studies should be ‘continuous and ongoing, with the learned aim of finding the best route for the sub seabed tunnel.’