Transport in Malta

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 Gudja.

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. [Sammut & Savona-Ventura, "Petrol Lead in a Small Island Environment", "International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine" 9 (1996) at 33-40.]

Malta has 2,254 kilometres of road, 1,972 km (87.5%) of which are paved and 282 km are unpaved (December 2003). [cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/country/mt-malta/tra-transportation|title="NationMaster" - Transportation statistics|accessdate=2007-02-19]

Buses

Buses are the primary method of public transport for the islands, which offer a cheap and frequent service to many parts of Malta and Gozo. The vast majority of buses on Malta depart from a large circular terminus in Valetta.

Buses have been used on the island since 1905. These classic buses have become tourist attractions in their own right, 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, albeit still customised in the tradition of the older buses.

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 500 buses in public transit service in Malta, most of them privately owned by the bus drivers themselves, and operated to a unified timetable set by the transport authority. Malta buses carry approximately 31 million passengers per year. [cite web|url=http://www.businesstoday.com.mt/2006/11/22/l4.html|title=Transportation statistics|work=Business Today|author=Debono, James|date=2006-11-22|accessdate=2007-02-19] On any one day, half the bus fleet works on the public transport network (called 'route buses'), while the other half are used for private tours and school transportation.

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.

Ports and harbours

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

*The Grand Harbour, located at the eastern side of the capital city of Valletta. The Grand Harbour, which has 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.

A seaplane service operated by HarbourAir Malta flies daily scheduled flights between the Grand Harbour in Valletta and Mġarr harbour in Gozo.

Ferry services

A frequent daily passenger and 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 & Catania in Sicily.

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, but the scheduled service to Gozo ceased in 2006. Since June 2007, a three-times daily floatplane service, operated by Harbour Air Malta, has linked the sea terminal in Grand Harbour to Mgarr harbour in Gozo.

In the past there were two further airfields which were in operation during World War II, and into the 1960s, located at Ta'Qali and Ħal Far. They have now since been closed, the land on the former has now been converted into a national park, stadium and the Crafts Village visitor attraction. The Malta Aviation museum is also situated here, preserving several aircraft including Hurricane and Spitfire fighters which defended the island in World War II.

The national airline is Air Malta

Merchant marine

;Total::1,323 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totalling 27,208,819 GRT/DWT|44,617,877|metric|first=yes;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.)

References

External links

* [http://www.maltatransport.com Malta Transport Authority]
* [http://www.atp.com.mt Public Transport Association]