As of this week, passengers using the sea transport service to travel between Valletta and Sliema are making use of new facilities, accessible to everyone, to embark on or disembark from the ferries in Marsamxett, a government statement read.
"Our vision goes over and above the improvement of road infrastructure - we believe that we must continue working to incentivise the use of alternative means. The public transport service is witnessing positive yearly increases in figures, where last year we achieved a record of more than 53.4 million passengers. We must however remember that public transport also includes the ferries, and here, we also witnessed a total of 1.6 million passengers in 2018; an increase of almost 25% over the previous year. That is why Government is investing in this service, and we have started by improving existing ferry landing sites", said Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg.
Over the past last few weeks, Infrastructure Malta concluded the first phase of the Marsamxett ferry landing site project with an investment of around €200,000. The new facilities have now been transferred under the remit of Transport Malta and the Valletta Ferry Services operators, so that they could start being used for ferries to dock at and load or unload passengers in Valletta. These new facilities are used around twenty-five times daily by the ferries operating this service.
During the first phase of this project, Infrastructure Malta's maritime infrastructure section modernised berthing facilities and built structures and safer and more accessible ramps so that passengers can embark on and disembark from the ferries with improved comfort. The second phase, which is planned to initiate in the near future, will see the creation of sheltered facilities for those waiting to embark on the ferries.
Works conducted over the past months include repairs on the existing quay, the introduction of ramps and mechanised walkways and the installation of other structures related to berthing. The area on land where passengers wait to embark on the ferries was also organised better to improve accessibility. Railings were also added for improved passenger safety.
As a result of these new facilities, ferries can dock at the stern side and this makes it possible for both walkways to be used at the same time, so that passengers can embark and disembark more efficiently. At the same time, ferries no longer need to be tied up to the quay before allowing passengers to embark or disembark - which reduces the risk of service delays.
The mechanised walkway structure creates the possibility for all passengers, even those with mobility issues, to have easier access to the ferries providing this service. The new mechanised walkways also have a mechanism which compensates for tidal changes, so they can always remain accessible to everyone.
"Through this investment, we continue to improve the quality of sea transport infrastructure so that more people can start using this means of transport as a sustainable alternative to the private vehicle. I look ahead to the coming months when Infrastructure Malta will start building new similar facilities for passengers who use the sea transport service from the Sliema and Cospicua stops. In this way, accessibility and the efficiency of this important transport service in the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour areas will continue to improve", the minister said.
These projects are cofinanced by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) of the European Union.
from The Malta Independent http://bit.ly/2WB8lNb
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