WATCH | New mass transportation plans set to be announced in coming weeks, Chris Bonett says

Government is set to announce new plans for a mass transportation system in the coming weeks, Transport Minister Chris Bonett has said.

“I want to discuss the project with people when I have something tangible which I can show them, but we are very close. Let us not forget this is a key project of government’s Vision 2050,” the minister said in an interview on TVM’s Mill-Kamra hosted by Karl Azzopardi.

Speaking on government plans for a new metro or mass transportation system, the minister said he wants to present a plan which “gets everyone on board”.

“The cost of doing nothing will soon supersede the costs of any proposal,” he said.

The political debate on the metro was thrust into the limelight before the budget after Opposition leader Alex Borg had pledged a new mass transportation system during his leadership campaign. He had called for the government and Opposition to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure continuity over time.

Later, Prime Minister Robert Abela had announced the new study, confirming ongoing talks with ARUP and suggesting revised "hybrid" plans costing around €2.8 billion, down from initial €6 billion estimates.

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.

Speaking on Mill-Kamra, the minister confirmed estimates for the project are now much lower than had been initially proposed.

“This time round, we posed a different question, and didn’t tell them we wanted a metro. We told them this the country’s situation and we have this existing public transport infrastructure. What would be the best system for Malta?” he said.

Bonnet also refused to say whether the latest study would be the last.

“The study carried out in 2021 had three lines which all depended on each other. The study was carried out, and the cost was unfeasible. If we had not commissioned the study, we would have started digging, and created serious problems to the country,” the minister said.

The full interview will be out later today at 6:30pm on TVM+.