Minister Chris Bonett sets out a coordinated approach to creating a connected, efficient and people-centred transport system for the Maltese Islands
A core component of Malta in Motion is the National Integrated Transport Plan, bringing together planning and technical studies across public transport, walking and cycling, parking management, ferry services and, in the longer term, a Rapid Transit System. Together, these elements will support easier journeys, provide people with more travel choices, and strengthen connectivity between key communities, employment areas and services.
Malta in Motion builds on existing work already underway and aligns with national transport policy and long-term objectives. It reflects an integrated approach to transport planning, ensuring that individual interventions are developed as part of a wider system rather than in isolation.
The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Public works, Chris Bonett said that “Malta in Motion is not solely a project. It is a system. Six components, working together. A stronger bus network, with more routes and better journey times. A maritime network that finally uses the sea for what it is, a road we have been underusing. Safer streets and active travel routes so that walking and cycling become real options for real people. A road network that moves more efficiently including Road Network efficiency. A parking policy built on how people actually live, not on wishful thinking. And a rapid transit system, properly studied, properly planned, and delivered in phases this country can sustain. Six components. Five strategic pillars that will be the heart of all our policies. One plan.”
Public and stakeholder engagement will be a core part of the Malta in Motion programme. Communities, local authorities, accessibility groups and industry stakeholders will be engaged at key stages as the work progresses, ensuring that feedback and local knowledge help shape the work ahead.
Kurt Farrugia, Chief Executive Officer of Transport Malta said this is not simply about introducing a mass transport project but a responsible, long-term approach how people move from one point to another. “We are presenting a fully integrated transport system that brings together all modes under one national plan. The National Integrated Transport Plan sets a clear direction for the next 15 years, anchoring Government’s vision and translating the Transport Strategy 2050 into tangible action. Works have already begun, focusing on connectivity, sustainability, and liveability—ensuring a resilient system that meets the needs of our people not just today, but for the decades ahead,” outlined Kurt Farrugia.
On Arup’s involvement in Malta in Motion, Donal McDaid, Arup Director said: “Malta in Motion sets out a clear, integrated approach to improving how transport serves people and places across the Maltese Islands. Arup is pleased to support Transport Malta with technical and strategic advice to develop an evidence base for future decisions and expand travel choice. Over time, this work can deliver lasting improvements in connectivity and quality of life across Malta.” On Arup’s involvement in Malta in Motion, Larissa Miller, Transport Strategist said: “By focusing on everyday mobility, Malta in Motion brings analysis and lived experience together to inform better transport choices for people across Malta. Using evidence and engagement in the right way is central to the insights informing our work and how the programme will develop.”
ARUP has appointed environmental architects, Mizzi Studio, and its production and public engagement platform Living Bridge Studios, as the local partners to support the Integrated Transport Plan. Their role spans the development of the programme’s branding, visual identity and filmmaking, as well as providing expertise through engagement with stakeholders and communities, drawing on local insight to build public trust, understanding and awareness. Mizzi Studio’s work in sustainable transport and regenerative design has been recognised by the European Union and the Kamra Tal-Periti, with almost two decades of working within the public realm internationally.
“Nowhere do we feel the pressure of growth more than on our small, finite island, which continues to attract so much. Malta is experiencing these pressures more intensely than most, and moments like this demand that we think and act together. Infrastructure of this scale must outlast electoral cycles. It is bigger than any one of us, and it will only work if we cooperate. If a system isn’t understood by people, it won’t be used. This is about more than transport. It is about reconnecting people and place, and improving how we live, together,” says Jonathan Mizzi, environmental architect and founder of Mizzi Studio and Living Bridge Studios.
Malta in Motion represents a long-term commitment to planning a transport system that works for today, strengthens over the coming decade, and supports future generations.
