Prime Minister Robert Abela has stated Opposition leader Alex Borg has accepted his request for both parties to meet and find convergence on the pledged national metro project.

Simultaneously, technical consultants from Arup Group will soon arrive in the Maltese islands to re-evaluate the viability of this major project.

While taking questions from journalists on Monday morning, Prime Minister Abela said that PN leader Alex Borg will be meeting him to discuss this project that is set to reshape the country’s mass transport system. Abela said that it is crucial for discussion on the proposed metro to not resort to political back-and-forths.

He added that with the government extending the consultation deadline for Malta Vision 2050 to the end of this month, the Nationalist Party has the next three working weeks to submit its feedback on Vision 2050 and on the country’s mass transit system. This proposal should include the PN’s position for what it believes to be the most suitable and viable way to bolster Malta’s public transport system, the Prime Minister said.

PM Abela shared that technical consultants from Arup Group are flying into the country “in the coming hours” to go over Malta’s needs while factoring in the country’s realities today and tomorrow. Arup group were the technical consultants who helped the government decide to commit to a long-term metro project a few years ago.

The Prime Minister added that “this is not an easy project – not from an investment standpoint or from any technical aspect.”

That being said, Abela is confident that “no matter how mighty this country’s challenges are, this country has always shown that it can overcome them and go beyond.”

PM Abela said that earlier that morning, the government launched the Food Safety and Security Authority – something that no-one thought could be done, he stated. He noted that while this example is on a much smaller scale, it highlights how the government can implement something if it has a vision to resolve a matter.

The Prime Minister said that Arup Group will be helping the country to assess whether the metro is still the most viable solution to support and expand the country’s transport network, as well as whether its implementation is viable and if there are any better alternatives.