Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1159832
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 AUGUST 2019 NEWS IF population size is a key considera- tion when assessing the feasibility of an underground mass transport sys- tem, Malta has definitely made the grade. Malta's resident population at the last count was 7,000 people shy of the half-a-million mark, according to the National Statistics Office. At the end of 2018, the NSO regis- tered a population of 493,559, which represents a 20% increase since a 2008 study that assessed the feasibil- ity of a tramway. The population count would put Malta at par with the French city of Lyon with a population of around 500,000. Lyon, France's third largest city, has had a metro system since 1978. The city is served by four lines, 40 stations and a total route length of 32km. But there are other cities with much smaller populations that operate un- derground mass transit systems. The shortest and the smallest The shortest in the world is the sin- gle-line underground funicular that serves the Israeli city of Haifa. The Carmelit, as it is called, started be- ing built in 1956 and was completed three years later to provide an eight- minute link between the seaside ar- eas of the city and the upper parts of Mount Carmel. Haifa's population is half of Malta's and the single-line subway runs along a 1.8km track with six sta- tions along the way. But closer to home, the Italian city of Brescia became the smallest Eu- ropean city to have a metro system in 2013. The Italian city boasts a single- line metro that runs along a route of 13.7km and has 17 stations. The metro services a population of around 200,000. Brescia Metro celebrated carrying its 100 millionth passenger in March 2019 after six years in operation. These figures alone would seem to justify the creation of a metro sys- Brescia became the smallest European city to have a metro line in 2013. Can Malta ever follow suit, Kurt Sansone asks 2008 Halcrow tram study (right) • A two-line tram would cost between €206m and €325m to build • The annual cost to operate was estimated at €7.5 million • The project will take 10 years to build • Route 1 will connect Valletta to Sliema for a 15-minute journey time • Route 2 will connect Valletta to Ta' Qali for a 21-minute journey time 2017 PN election proposal (right) • Four-line underground and overground train would cost €2.3 billion to build • The annual cost to operate was estimated at €56 million • The project will take 20 years to build • Route 1 will connect Valletta to St Julians via Msida, Gzira and Sliema • Route 2 will connect Valletta to Ta' Qali via Birkirkara, Mosta and Naxxar • Route 3 will connect Valletta to Marsaskala via Paola, the Cottonera, the airport and Zabbar • Route 4 will connect St Julians to Cirkewwa and Victoria • The last route will necessitate a further investment of €300m to build a rail tunnel between Malta and Gozo 2019 Konrad Xuereb proposal (right) • Three-line underground system would cost between €3 billion and €4 billion to build • The annual cost to operate was estimated at €150 million • The project will take 10 years to complete • Route 1 will connect Mellieha to Birzebbuga via a loop passing through the northern and southern harbour regions, Valletta and the airport • Route 2 will connect St Paul's Bay to the airport via the central localities of Mosta, Naxxar and Qormi • Route 3 will be an undersea tunnel connection between Mellieha, Xewkija, Victoria, and Marsalforn • Brescia Metro • One-line underground system that cost €935 million to build • Project took 10 years to complete • 18 trains are used to operate the system at 3 minute intervals • The route runs along 13.7km • 17 underground stations service the city • System can carry 8,500 passengers per hour The government has been studying the metro option for more than two years now, engaging Danish f irm Arup to map out the options. The only public utterances to date have focused on the unfeasibility of extending the metro to Gozo Malta's population no stumbling Compare and contrast