Transport in Malta

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The transportation system in Malta is small, and the islands' small domestic system of public transport is reliant on buses and taxis, although there was a railway in the past.

Malta's primary connection to other countries is its airport at Luqa.

Contents 1 Highways 2 Buses 3 Railway 4 Ports and harbours 4.1 Ferry services 5 Airports and heliports 6 Merchant marine 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Highways

Traffic in Malta drives on the left, as in the UK. Car ownership in Malta is exceedingly high, given the very small size of the islands: fourth highest in the European Union. The number of registered cars in 1990 amounted to 182,254, giving an automobile density of 582 per km².^[1]

Malta has 2,254 kilometres of road, 1,972 km (87.5%) of which are paved and 282 km are unpaved (December 2003).^[2]

[edit] Buses

The Maltese bus system is the primary method of public transport for the islands, which offer a cheap and frequent service to many parts of Malta and Gozo.

The old Maltese buses, which were converted ex-British Armed Forces vehicles, were pressed into public transport as long ago as the early 1950s. These classic buses have become tourist attractions among themselves due to their uniqueness, and are depicted on many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism as well as on gifts and merchandise for tourists. However, these old buses are slowly being replaced by a more modern fleet.

The buses used to be colour coded, according to the their routes, before being painted green. Now the buses in Malta are all dark yellow, with a band of orange, while those on the sister island of Gozo are grey, with a red band.

There are approximately 508 buses in public transit service in Malta, most of them privately owned by the bus drivers themselves, and carry approximately 31 million passengers per year.^[3] As well as public transportation, Maltese buses are also used for private tours and school transportation.

[edit] Railway

For a brief period between 1883 and 1931, Malta had a railway line that connected the capital city of Valletta to the army barracks at Mtarfa, via Mdina and a number of towns and villages.

The railway fell into disuse, and was eventually closed altogether, following the introduction of electric trams and buses. At the height of the bombing of Malta during World War II, Mussolini announced that his forces had destroyed the railway system. But by the time war broke out, the railway had been mothballed for more than nine years.

[edit] Ports and harbours

Malta has three large natural harbours on its main island. There are also two man-made harbours that connects the islands of Malta and Gozo.

• The Grand Harbour, located at the eastern side of the capital city of Valletta. The Grand Harbour, which have been used as a harbour since Roman times, has several extensive docks and wharves, as well as a cruise liner terminal.
• Marsamxett Harbour, located on the western side of Valletta, accommodate a number of yacht marinas.
• Marsaxlokk Harbour is sited at Marsaxlokk on the south-eastern side of Malta, and is the location of the Malta Freeport, the islands' main cargo terminal.

[edit] Ferry services

A regular daily car ferry service runs between the islands of Malta and Gozo between Ċirkewwa Harbour and Mġarr Harbour.

There is also a ferry terminal at the Grand Harbour that connects Malta to Pozzallo in Sicily.

[edit] Airports and heliports

Malta International Airport is the only airport serving the Maltese Islands. It is built on the land formerly occupied by the RAF Luqa air base. A heliport is also located there, that connects the main island to the heliport at Xewkija, Gozo.

In the past there were two further airfields which were in operation during World War II, located at Ta'Qali and Ħal Far. They have now since been left, the land on the former has now been converted into a national park, stadium and the Crafts Village visitor attraction.

The national airline is Air Malta

[edit] Merchant marine

Total

1,323 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totalling 27,208,819 GRT/44,617,877 DWT

Ships by type

bulk 440, cargo 334, chemical tanker 54, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 12, container 75, liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 270, refrigerated cargo 39, roll on/roll off 45, short-sea passenger 9, specialised tanker 3, vehicle carrier 17

This includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 4, Austria 6, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 3, Bulgaria 19, Canada 2, China 16, Croatia 14, Cuba 1, Cyprus 7, Denmark 3, Estonia 5, Finland 1, Germany 54, Greece 627, Hong Kong 12, Iceland 3, India 10, Iran 2, Israel 26, Italy 36, Japan 2, Latvia 24, Lebanon 6, Monaco 29, Netherlands 10, Nigeria 2, Norway 43, Poland 29, Portugal 2, Romania 15, Russia 85, Saudi Arabia 1, Slovenia 2, South Korea 5, Spain 1, Switzerland 54, Syria 4, Turkey 84, Ukraine 25, United Arab Emirates 3, United Kingdom 4, United States 10 (2002 est.)

[edit] References

1. ^ Sammut & Savona-Ventura, "Petrol Lead in a Small Island Environment", International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine 9 (1996) at 33-40.
2. ^ NationMaster - Transportation statistics. Retrieved on February 19, 2007.
3. ^ Debono, James (2006-11-22). Transportation statistics. Business Today. Retrieved on February 19, 2007.

[edit] External links

• Malta Transport Authority
• Public Transport Association