Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545087
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 MAY 2026 EDITORIAL ELECTION 2026 IT is unbelievable how government func- tionaries went all agog on Tuesday when MaltaToday revealed the contents of a met- ro study commissioned by Infrastructure Malta three years ago. The study carried out by Pricewaterhouse- Coopers, a big four audit firm, analysed the financial feasibility of a three-line under- ground rail network. The routes—labelled Red, Blue and Green—were defined by In- frastructure Malta to cater for population and work density and based on a previous study carried out by Arup, a consultancy firm. Unfortunately, this report never saw the light of day and the plan to invest in a metro network was shelved. There was never any real discussion on its feasibility, or wheth- er the investment should first focus on just one line with the possibility of expanding the network's reach in the future. If these discussions were held nobody out- side government's inner circle was privy to them. Indeed, government quietly shelved the pre-2022 metro roadshow—for a time its literature had also been removed from the online sphere—and we were only told it was too expensive when we pushed for an- swers. The PwC study laid down the numbers, taking into consideration different scenari- os of how the development of three routes could be financed and its impact on public expenditure depending on the financing model used. The study was based on the concurrent construction of three lines with a total length of 29km at a cost of €4 billion. The study showed that this network could be completed and be fully operation in just over five years. The Nationalist Party's metro proposal mimics just one of the lines identified in the PwC report—the Blue Line between Pem- broke and the airport—and thus is a less costly venture and more doable within the five-year timeline. The Labour Party's response was to dis- miss the PwC report as a preliminary study and argue it would have pushed the coun- try's debt beyond the EU threshold. There was no nuance in the PL's statement. It sim- ply hit out at the PN, accusing it of copying a study that was later discarded. The PwC report is not the beginning and end when it comes to planning and execut- ing a metro project. But it certainly could have provided the basis for an honest dis- cussion had the government been transpar- ent about its intentions and plans. The truth is that somewhere along the line, govern- ment got cold feet and abandoned the idea of a metro altogether. It then came out with a new transport plan on the eve of the 2026 election. It is a good plan because it encompasses several modes of transport in an interconnected system of travel. However, the new plan's proposed hybrid light rail just skirts around the St Julian's- Sliema-Gżira conurbation. This is based on the premise that passing the route un- derground in this densely populated region would raise costs much higher than the esti- mated €2.8 billion. We had to take the government's word for it. But all the while a financial feasibility study done three years earlier but kept hid- den, showed that a single underground line between Pembroke and the airport would cost half that amount. We do not purport to be an authority on the feasibility of mass transport plans. But we do care about transparency and honesty, both of which were missing in the manner this issue was handled by the government since it first floated the metro proposal in 2021. maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: KURT SANSONE DEPUTY PRINT EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Government quietly shelved the pre-2022 metro roadshow — for a time its literature had also been removed from the online sphere — and we were only told it was too expensive when we pushed for answers The metro: An issue of transparency and honesty School transport operators obliged to work on Monday THE Education Ministry has made it clear that school trans- port operators are contractually bound to offer their services on Monday 1 June irrespective of any ongoing election celebra- tions. The ministry was forced to release a statement after after Coop Services announced it would not be providing school transport, citing post-election celebrations. The ministry insisted at no time did it give permission to schools or transport providers to suspend or change their ser- vices. It said all transport pro- viders are expected to provide all necessary services in ac- cordance with contractual ob- ligations. Schools will continue to operate as normal. Malta votes on Saturday and the next prime minister will be sworn in at the President's Pal- ace in Valletta on Monday at 11am. As is normal on such oc- casions, supporters of the win- ning party will gather in Val- letta and take part in carcades throughout the day. BirdLife Malta condemns reopening of stuffed bird transfers Abela opens new De La Rue facility BIRDLIFE Malta strongly con- demned the decision by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) to reopen applications for the trans- fer of stuffed protected birds be- tween private collections. The group insisted the move sends bird conservation efforts back by over two decades. "At a time when Malta should be strengthening enforcement and protection efforts, the government is instead reopening loopholes that facilitate abuse and further weaken safeguards for protected species," BirdLife Malta said. The bird conservation group said it was deeply concerned that these concessions are once again being made on the eve of a gener- al election, pointing to a repeated pattern of giving in to the hunting and trapping lobby without any shame. PRIME Minister Robert Abela in- augurated the expansion of the De La Rue factory in Bulebel, a private investment of nearly €60 million. Work on the expansion started in 2022 and the investment cre- ates the opportunity for additional high0quality jobs. De La Rue is a money-printing international company, which re- tained and expanded its Malta fa- cility despite global changes in the group's composition. Abela was accompanied on the visit by Economy Minister Silvio Schembri. The Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) reopened applications for the transfer of stuffed protected birds between private collections