Editorial | Why a metro tunnel link to Gozo is a non-starter

A road tunnel will provide a permanent link that will help cut down on the disparity between Malta and Gozo. Postponing a permanent link to an unknown future and linking it to a metro, which for all intents and purposes is still pie in the sky, does not do justice to Gozitans

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Gozitans have a right to the reliable travel infrastructure that their Maltese brethren enjoy.

For too long Gozitans have had to contend with insularity that makes their life somewhat more complicated.

Sea travel means waking up early to make the first ferry trip to Malta; and trying to wrap up meetings early, to get back to Gozo at a decent time.

It is a fickle inconvenience for many Maltese but it is an economic and social disruptor for Gozitans and cannot be disregarded at the bat of an eyelid.

This is why this leader believes that the construction of a permanent link between both islands is important.

A road tunnel will help remove the uncertainty for Gozitans, giving them a reliable travel option that does not depend on time schedules, weather and ship outages.

This is why we believe that the proposal by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry to replace plans for a road tunnel with a metro link between both islands falls short of addressing today’s needs.

There is no realistic timeframe yet for a metro system in Malta. Any investment in this regard, which should be prioritised in the coming years, will undoubtedly concentrate in its initial stages on having an underground service around the Valletta harbours.

Built in phases, a metro system will only be extended further north and onward to Gozo in its latter stages, and only if the route is viable.

This means that a metro-only tunnel link between Malta and Gozo is something that can realistically be considered in 15 to 20 years’ time, if at all. Proposing this as a solution for today’s problems is a non-starter.

It is akin to postponing a permanent connection indefinitely and that is a prospect, which does not bode well for Gozitans.

The Chamber’s policy document does make a strong argument for a permanent fourth ferry ship and possibly a fifth that links Mġarr with Valletta. These options must not be discarded.

But for the long term, this leader believes that a road tunnel link will give Gozitans the peace of mind they have always sought.

A road tunnel will also enable the local economy to diversify because uncertainty will be removed from the equation.

Apart from this, the road tunnel could provide a safer infrastructure to have electricity and fibre optic cables linking both islands.

Government must continue with its plans to develop a road tunnel but in doing so it has to also ensure that all necessary studies are conducted.

The proposed tunnel link will not come cheap – a price tag ranging between €300 million and €500 million has been floated.

It is not a cost that can be easily dismissed but there is an economic spin-off that will be derived from this big project, which can bolster Gozo’s contribution to the national GDP.

Part of the cost can be recouped through increased economic activity in Gozo and the northern part of Malta, and a toll on non-Gozitan cars using the tunnel.

But we reiterate that the tunnel link is not the be all and end all for Gozo.

More investment has to pour into public infrastructure such as the harbour in Mġarr, which can be expanded to enable cruise liners and more yachts to berth.

The island also needs a fully functional general hospital, something which has so far failed to materialise under the hospitals privatisation deal.

It also needs investment in schools, embellishment of village cores and incentives for businesses to relocate to Gozo.

A road tunnel will provide a permanent link that will help cut down on the disparity between Malta and Gozo. Postponing a permanent link to an unknown future and linking it to a metro, which for all intents and purposes is still pie in the sky, does not do justice to Gozitans.

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