Bonett seeks bipartisan approach on metro

Chris Bonett has called for a bipartisan approach to the development of a mass transport system, which he said would change mobility for generations to come.

The transport minister, who was speaking on his ministry’s budget estimates in parliament on Tuesday, said too much time was lost on “puerile arguments”.

“This would be the biggest infrastructural project since independence… let us sit down and work together and not waste any more time on who missed a deadline, or who got the first idea; this project should have started 25 years ago,” Bonett said.

He said his ministry was working with international consultancy firm Arup on a metro solution that would cost less than €3 billion. The major difference from the plans government had unveiled in 2021 for an underground mass transport system, which came at a cost of €6 billion, is that the new proposal will be both underground and aboveground.

Bonett said the plans were entering “an important new stage” with several studies on commercial feasibility and geological studies. However, the minister did not divulge when the plans would be finalised and published.

Bonett did say that the construction of a mass transport system required changes to certain laws and planning policies. “There is a lot of preparatory work that needs to be done before we start digging,” he said, adding consultation will have to take place with experts and communities.

Bonett extended his hand to the Opposition, insisting it would be wrong to turn such a project that would traverse several legislatures to be completed, into a political football.

“I extend my hand to the Opposition… let us not be Nationalists and Labourites on this, let us be Maltese,” Bonett said.

His call echoes that of Opposition leader Alex Borg, who recently called on the government to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Opposition over a mass transport system to ensure continuity over time.

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has insisted that a metro would be an expensive project that could bankrupt the country unless politicians from either side agree on measures that penalise car use.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Bonett said government would not be waiting for a metro to address traffic issues. He said the government is investing in sea transport as an alternative method of commuting between coastal towns.

Next year, he said, a ferry link would be established between Sliema and Buġibba. He added that another connection would be added in due course between Marsaskala and Valletta and Buġibba.