Talk about the possibility of a future new mass transportation system in the country has once again come up.

Both political parties seem willing to talk about such a future prospect, and, quite frankly, both parties working together is the only way such a project would work.

If, for instance, a government were to opt for a metro project for such a mass transportation system, that would require years and years of works and investment. It would require cross-party support to ensure that one government does not halt the project half-way through.

If it opts for a rapid bus transit system or trackless tram for instance, that would require the creation of 'bus lanes' so to speak, which in the short run would not be popular. If one party agrees but the other doesn't, then that will quickly turn into political mudslinging. It will take both parties coming together and agreeing on a type of mass transportation system for this to work.

In light of this, it is good to see both major political party leaders now, thus far, showing political maturity on this subject. A PN statement about a meeting held between Prime Minister Robert Abela and PN Leader Alex Borg read: "Both leaders agreed on the need for a national mass transport system, which the country urgently requires. They also recognised that since such a project would take time to implement, efforts should be made to find common ground between both parties on the way forward." It was also reported that the Prime Minister, elsewhere, had said that ARUP, the company that drafted plans for the metro, were to visit Malta for further talks, and that Alex Borg is willing to sign an MoU on a mass transport project.

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana however, has made some good points which also need to be addressed regarding the possibility of a metro. "You cannot have an investment as large as that and then people would still use their cars," he said and aired concerns about its sustainability from a financial aspect.

It had been estimated that a metro would cost €6.2 billion to build. That is not a small amount, especially given Malta's current debt levels.

If Malta were to go for a metro, it would need to be accompanied by serious measures to dissuade people from using their car as often and entice them to use the metro. Geological studies would also need to be carried out carefully and thoroughly, and guarantees that vibrations would not be felt by residents would also be needed. "It is not expected that residents will feel any vibrations while trains are in operation," was the response from the Transport Ministry back in 2021 to a question, but it must ensure that none will be felt. The government and Opposition would need to calculate and look into the long-term viability of this option, the sheer amount of works that will be needed, and whether Malta can wait as long as it needs to for such a project to be up and running.

The cheaper option (although by how much the government would first need to commission a study) would be the trackless tram or bus rapid transit system, which would not require underground digging, track laying or so much station building, but this would require road widening projects. It would likely be able to be implemented more quickly, but it will also need to be accompanied by other measures to reduce traffic and might also need unpopular measures to try and dissuade car usage. This would also see complaints, at least in the short term, of increased traffic due to lanes being used for it. Parking spaces would also need to be removed. It would need to be a quick and efficient system for it to stand a chance of working.

Regardless of the type of system chosen, a feeder bus system would also be required, and here efficiency must also be emphasised.

Another option could be to bolster the present public transport system, while introducing measures that will result in fewer people using cars so often, although it is hard to imagine how this would be done without disincentives, which would be unpopular. After all, the measures tried over the years have not solved the problem.

The government and Opposition must study all possibilities, and even others, and come up with the best solution to Malta's traffic problem. They must look into the long-term financial sustainability of the plan they choose, the likelihood of people using it over their cars, the complications that may arise from implementing the method they choose, what additional measures would be required, so on and so forth.

There are many who are sceptical that this is all just talk with an election not too far away. How many times has talk about a new mass transport system been shelved. But traffic in Malta needs to be reduced. The fact that both main political parties now seem willing to talk together about how to tackle the issue is a positive step.