Tourism providers in Gozo and workers in Malta want metro connectivity, not car tunnel
Gozitan workers and tourism providers want a metro, not a car tunnel with Malta
The proposed three-line subway system with 25 stations excludes the sister island
The Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) criticized the government’s proposal to build a tunnel for vehicles between Malta and Gozo, and said that instead it should be integrated with the proposed metro system on the continent.
“Gozo does not need a vehicle tunnel, but Gozo deserves to be connected to Malta in the best possible way,” the association said on Friday in a statement, quoted by the Times of Malta.
The viability of the metro was linked to the increase in the population of Gozo
The GTA referred to the Labor government’s plan for a three-line underground metro system with 25 stations around Malta but not extending to Gozo. The association questioned why the proposed 5 km tunnel under the seabed between the two islands was not being linked to the proposed metro system.
The government explained that the population of Gozo (33,388 residents from 2020) must be increased by another 50,000 people for a metro line to be financially feasible. But the GTA argues that this reasoning is unfounded, as the population of Gozo is greatly inflated by domestic and foreign visits, especially during the active tourist season.
The association pointed out that in the pre-pandemic 2019 Gozo received 215,272 domestic guests and 180,978 foreign guests for at least one night, with another 1.5 million foreign tourists making a day trip to the sister island.
Data from the National Statistics Office also showed that, in 2020, the number of Gozitan residents working in Malta reached 3,284. In 2019, 1,654 Gozitan students were also traveling to Malta to complete their tertiary education.
Were the metro planners aware of these numbers when conducting their research for the system, the association asked.
Gozitan workers in Malta feel discriminated against
Tourism providers are not alone in their resentment of the exclusion of Gozo from the proposed metro system. A few days ago, the Association of Gozitan Employees working in Malta (AGEM) stated that the plans of the underground metro system discriminate against Gozitans, especially those who travel every day.
Currently, Gozo and Malta are connected by ships only. On June 1 this year a new fast ferry service was launched with two operators using four catamarans. Recently, the government also promised an air-link as part of its strategy for Gozo.