Barrakka Lift

Background and construction In 1901, Sacco Albanese, a former employee of the Edison Manufacturing Company, proposed the construction of a tramway in Malta. The tender was won by Macartney, McElroy & Co. Ltd, which apart from the tramway also planned to construct two lifts in Valletta, one near Marsamxett Harbour and another near the Grand Harbour. Eventually it was decided to only construct the lift on the Grand Harbour side, and the contract was signed on 24 December 1903. Macartney, McElroy & Co. Ltd hired the London-based subcontractors Joseph Richmond & Co. Ltd. The lift had two cabins that could hold 12 passengers and were suspended on four ropes. Operation Tickets for the lift initially cost ½d for military personnel and 1d for other clients. In World War I, problems arose regarding the supply of spare parts and coal which was used to power the lift. In October 1917, the company was forced to suspend the lift due to a lack of spare parts, and operation resumed only in June 1919 after the war had ended. The Malta Tramways were abolished in 1929, and the power plant which supplied the lift stopped functioning in 1931, when the government granted the company a plot near the elevator so as to allow them to build a new power station on it. This allowed the lift to be powered by electricity from the power grid, and the new building also had a waiting room. Political changes in the decades after the war, including Malta's independence in 1964, took their toll on the bridge. A significant number of the lift's clients were British military personnel and employees, and the reduced military activity after independence resulted in a further drop in the number of customers. Ticket prices rose by another ½d in 1958. A planned increase of fees up to 3d in 1964 was not accepted by the government. The company reported significant losses on 22 January 1973, and the lift ceased operation on 1 February 1973. It was passed to the government in 1974, Demolition was carried out by the General Construction and Engineering Company, which had been set up by the government specifically for dismantling the lift. It was planned to use the salvaged steel to rebuild the St Elmo Bridge which had been destroyed in World War II, but this was never done and the steel was abandoned at Corradino. ==Second lift==

Construction Plans to construct a new lift at the site were initiated in 2004, with the intention being to facilitate access to the historic centre of Valletta from the Grand Harbour, where cruise liners were being berthed. A ferry service linking the Three Cities to the harbour was also planned. In 2009 it was decided that the lift was to be rebuilt by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation at an estimated cost of €2 million. The estimated date of completion was originally March 2011, but delays related to obtaining the required permits led to work on the project beginning in July 2011. The construction of the lift was partially financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The lift wad designed by the local firm Architecture Project. It was inaugurated on 15 December 2012 by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and infrastructure minister Austin Gatt. The ferry service linking the Three Cities to the Grand Harbour was inaugurated a week before the lift. Description The lift stands at , and it consists of a concrete structure which is surrounded by an aluminium mesh. It has two cabins which can carry up to 21 passengers each, resulting in a carrying capacity of up to 800 people per hour. The journey takes approximately 23 seconds. It also includes a flight of stairs. Operation The lift always opens at 0630 and closes from 01 Oct to 31 October at midnight. 01 Nov to 30 Apr Mon to Thu & Sun: 2200 hrs Fri & Sat: 2330hrs 01 May to 31 May Mon to Thu & Sun: 2330hrs hrs Fri & Sat: 0030 hrs A return trip costs €1, and it is free for those customers with personalized tal-Linja Card. ==Notes==