Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1070939
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 JANUARY 2019 JAMES DEBONO THE Transport Ministry has excluded restricting the pro- posed tunnel linking Gozo to Malta to a public transport sys- tem, hinting that it would be impossible to integrate it into a national underground system. Restricting the Gozo tunnel to public transport only is "not a viable solution to the cur- rent difficulties encountered by residents and businesses in Gozo", a spokesperson for Transport Minister Ian Borg said in reply to questions by MaltaToday. MaltaToday asked the minis- try whether current studies are assessing the possibility of in- tegrating the Gozo tunnel into a rapid mass transit system catering for the needs of the entire country, and whether studies are assessing the pos- sibility of restricting the tunnel to public transport. Moreover, although the pro- posed design of the tunnel will include additional space for emergency access and future developments, "this may not necessarily cater for mass rapid transit systems, which would require different structural specifications depending on the type of technology adopt- ed", the spokesperson replied. The ministry confirmed that the feasibility of a mass rapid transit system was being ana- lysed through other ongoing studies that "are not linked to the (Gozo) tunnel project". But the ongoing studies in re- lation to the Malta-Gozo tun- nel are still considering "the current and future transport, economic and social develop- ments of Gozo." Current studies including the Environmental Impact Study are meant to identify the "most sustainable and safest excava- tion route and the best possi- ble implementation methods, and ensure that this project is successfully completed," the ministry said. Apart from growing con- troversy on the tunnel's en- vironmental impact on the scenic Pwales area where the entrance to the tunnel is being proposed, doubts have also been raised on how the pro- ject integrates with the coun- try's national infrastructure. In a recent article penned in the Times of Malta, University of Malta pro rector Godfrey Baldacchino asked: "will the Gozo-Malta tunnel serve to appease private vehicle drivers; or provide the justification to launch an underground metro network?" He also observed that Gozi- tans travelling to Malta will still be at the l-Imbordin exit when they exit the tunnel. "I doubt whether many of them would consider this hamlet as their final destination. For most, they are still facing log- jam on our beleaguered road network, to which we continue adding a net 1,000 vehicles a month." Baldacchino called on the government to consider a longer-term plan, "that of an underground mass rapid tran- sit system that would not just connect Gozo to Malta, but Malta to itself as well", which would take most of the pres- sure off public transport, which handled some 50 mil- lion passenger trips in 2018. "We have hardly had any de- bate about whether or not to have a fixed link between Mal- ta and Gozo. The tunnel link is happening. But we should at least discuss what kind of mobility we wish any tunnel to serve," Baldacchino concluded. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Gozo tunnel may not cater for rapid mass transit system By decree given by the Civil Court, First Hall on Tuesday, 9th October, 2018, on the application of APS Bank Limited (C 2192), Tuesday, 22nd January, 2019, at eleven in the morning (11.00 a.m.), has been fixed for the sale of auction to be held on the First Floor of the Courts of Justice, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta of the following property. Tenement officially numbered nineteen (19) named "San Domenico", in Triq l-Isptar l-Antik, Valletta, with its overlying airspace, free and unencumbered, with all its rights and enjoyments, valued at six hundred and eighty-five thousand euro (€685,000). The said tenement is the property of Olena known as Elena Mashkova (Ukranian passport number AK061485) and by decree of the First Hall of the Civil Court dated 12th January, 2017, Dr Josette Sultana and Legal Procurator Gillian Muscat had been nominated as deputy curators for the absent. N.B. The said tenement will be sold as described in the acts of judicial sales file number 49/2017. Registry of the Superior Courts, this Monday, 17th December, 2018 GAETANA AQUILINA For the Registrar, Civil Courts and Tribunals Although the proposed design of the tunnel will include additional space for emergency access and future developments, "this may not necessarily cater for mass rapid transit systems" NEWS