A Fresh Start in transport: Building a new backbone for transport in Malta

PN Leader Alex Borg announces details of the first underground mass transport line from the Airport to Pembroke: a serious investment, with a clear technical, financial and implementation plan

• Within five years, the first line from the Airport to Pembroke will be completed, with 8 stations and 10 trains over 11.5km
• In its first year, the Mass Rapid Transport system is expected to carry 36 million passengers
• Within the first 100 days, all preparatory work on the regulatory processes will be completed so that procurement can then begin, followed by excavation works
• The initial investment in the first phase will amount to €1.4 billion, while traffic is currently costing the country €770 million a year

The Partit Nazzjonalista has a serious, credible and necessary solution to the problem faced every day by Maltese families, workers and businesses: traffic. This is why a Nationalist Government will give transport a new backbone.

The Partit Nazzjonalista has always been there to make the major choices that moved the country forward, and today it is once again here with this ambitious project that will give our country A Fresh Start.

During a press conference addressed by Partit Nazzjonalista Leader Alex Borg, together with candidates Adrian Delia and Julian Borg, the Partit Nazzjonalista presented its plan for a national Mass Rapid Transport system, with a substantial part of it underground.

Alex Borg said that, when it comes to transport, over the past years we have seen many conferences, billboards and promises, but in 13 years nothing has been delivered. Our country does not need more words or PR and marketing exercises. It needs a holistic plan that solves the problem once and for all. Traffic is no longer a simple inconvenience, but has become a burden — a burden on people’s lives, on workers, on businesses, on health, on the environment and on Malta’s competitiveness.

The Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista said that this project, on its own, will not solve everything, but it will give our country a backbone for transport and a real alternative for people.

The PN Leader said that many people use their car not because they want to, but because they have no real alternative. We do not want to punish people for using their car. We want to give them a better choice: one that is serious, comfortable, clean, safe and reliable.

Today, many people have lost confidence in being able to plan their days because the roads are always jammed. Many businesses are being discouraged from growing because they lose heart due to the burden of traffic. This burden is currently costing us €770 million a year and, in a few years’ time, is expected to cost us €900 million.

He said that our country needs a radical change in transport through an alternative that works, that can be relied upon, that gets you there on time, that does not create chaos, that does not destroy our landscapes, and that makes life easier for the Maltese people.

Alex Borg said that a project such as this is not delivered by one person, but by one strong team with one common aim — to improve people’s quality of life together.

He stated that this is the choice before us: either we remain stuck in traffic, or we build a new system that gives us A Fresh Start.

“We are ready and determined. We have chosen. And today we are showing you how.”

The plan presented by the Partit Nazzjonalista provides for the first line, of around 11.5 kilometres, with 8 stations and 10 trains, to be built and operational within the first five years. The system will connect strategic areas between Pembroke, St Julian’s, Sliema, Gżira, Mater Dei and the University, Qormi, St Vincent de Paul and the Airport. This line is expected to serve the most congested areas and the areas of strongest demand in Malta, with a frequent and reliable service that is away from everyday traffic.

It is estimated that, in its first year of operation, this first line will carry around 36 million passengers, increasing to 55 million journeys once the second line is completed.

PN candidate, Architect Julian Borg explained the technical aspect of the project and said that the underground option is a technical choice built around Malta’s reality: a small country, with high density, narrow roads, limited land, and localities that cannot take more large-scale infrastructure on the surface.

He said that while larger countries can deliver overground transport projects, Malta’s reality is different and makes it impossible to have an efficient mass transport system above ground because of buildings, narrow roads and infrastructure in general.

He explained how the tunnel will be built using Tunnel Boring Machines, so that the main works take place underground and the impact on the surface is concentrated mostly around the stations, rather than spreading across the whole of Malta. This also means that this project can not only be done, but can be done with the least negative impact on people’s daily lives.

Julian Borg also said that within the first 100 days of a new Nationalist Government, a National MRT Implementation Unit will be created, a Project Director will be appointed, existing studies will be gathered, a Technical Baseline Report will be prepared, pre-market engagement will begin, and a procurement plan will be drawn up. This is a serious way for a national project to move from an idea on paper to implementation.

He concluded by saying that we are in a situation where doing nothing is not an option, and that this project will change transport in Malta once and for all.

PN candidate Adrian Delia said that this project shows that “there is light at the end of the tunnel”.

He said that while others first promised a transport project and then said they could not commit to it because they did not know the cost, he is ready to commit to the PN’s project because it is studied and tangible.

Adrian Delia said that this project must be assessed not only on how much it will cost to deliver, but also on how much it will reduce the cost that traffic is currently imposing on our country.

At present, transport in our country has no backbone. This first line of this project will begin to give transport that backbone.

He said that the service is intended to be free for Maltese and Gozitan residents, so that people have a real reason to switch to a system that works. This is not a project of prestige. This is not a PR exercise. This is a project for Malta to work better.

Adrian Delia explained that the first line will be delivered through an indicative capital investment of around €1.4 billion, with a financial framework based on a blend of European funds, long-term financing from international development banks, national financial instruments and a long-term operating structure. The financial framework of this project will not depend on one single source, and around 30% of the capital investment — around €400 million — is expected to come from European funds outside the Cohesion Fund.

On a conservative basis, the Government could recover around €150 million a year in additional tax revenue and economic activity linked to this increased productivity. This means that, when taking into account the economic effect, the project could become almost cost-neutral on a long-term macroeconomic basis. This is not an expense in transport, but an investment in people’s quality of life by giving them their time back.

The Partit Nazzjonalista spokesperson explained that this system will not be an isolated one, but part of a wider mobility ecosystem that includes better public transport, park-and-ride facilities, feeder routes, mobility hubs, ferries, organised transport for workers and students, and smarter traffic management.

Adrian Delia said that Malta has reached a moment where it must choose: either it continues accepting traffic as part of life, or it takes a major and ambitious decision and builds a new system that gives people back their time.

We want a Malta where your time belongs to you again. A Malta where you do not need to leave an hour early because you are afraid of getting stuck. A Malta where children get to school without stress, workers get to work on time, businesses work better, and families live with greater peace of mind.

Adrian Delia concluded by saying that this is the moment to build a system that gives Malta A Fresh Start.

22.05.2026

See the details pf the PN’s mass transport project may be found here.