Plans for a permanent link between Gozo and Malta remain on the back burner, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri said.
“I, as a Gozitan, remain in favour of a permanent link but I would be dishonest to say we could do this in the coming months or years,” Camilleri said.
“For the time being, it is on the back burner.”
Camilleri was speaking in the aftermath of Storm Harry, which left Gozo without a ferry link to Malta for almost two days.
Following the storm, the Gozo Business Chamber called for a resumption of talks on developing a permanent link between the two islands.
The chamber said this past week’s adverse weather conditions had once again highlighted Gozo’s accessibility challenges and reliance on a sole mode of transportation – sea ferries.
“People were stranded and flights and appointments were missed because our sole mode of transport between the two islands could not operate,” it said.
Two new ferries that will cost €100 million
The Gozo and transport ministries recently announced a massive investment in the Gozo Channel company. Earlier this month, Camilleri and Transport Minister Chris Bonett announced the construction of two new ferries to operate between Ċirkewwa and Mġarr that will cost over €100 million. They are expected to be operating in 2029. Asked if the investment meant an end to plans for a tunnel between Malta and Gozo, Camilleri said the government was prioritising short- and medium-term initiatives.
Speaking about a permanent link, Camilleri said: “The truth is that we can hope, which is good, and we can work on it but this is a really long-term project – this is not a project that can happen overnight.”
“The other option is to focus on that which is doable in the short and medium term,” Camilleri said.
He pointed to the Gozo fast ferry service from Valletta, “which is operating very well”, as an example.
Camilleri said the government should continue considering a permanent link between the two islands and added that “this is a project that needs to work hand in hand with the rest of the country’s system”.
“Right now, the project is on the back burner but that doesn’t mean it will remain there forever,” he said.
“The elderly tell me they’ve been hearing about a bridge or tunnel for nearly 80 years. I’m not saying it will take another 80 years but we need to be realistic.”