The Tel Aviv Light Rail will finally start operating on Friday after years of delays, giving passengers a traffic-free trip within and around the congested metropolitan area.
The 24-km. After receiving all necessary safety permits, the 15-mile Red Line that will pass through Tel Aviv and connect Petach Tikvah to the east with Bat Yam immediately south of the city was given the go-ahead to begin operations earlier this month.
The almost NIS 19 billion ($5 billion) transportation project, which was originally scheduled to open almost two years ago, was constantly delayed by flaws, most notably in its signaling and emergency braking.
The line, which extends from Bat Yam through Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, and Ramat Gan to Petach Tikvah, includes 34 stations, including 10 underground stops. A tunnel beneath the road is used for around half of the journey.
As he opened the rail line in Petach Tikva on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked, “This is a day of celebration for the State of Israel.
“Today, we are implementing Israel’s transportation vision: We committed to connecting cities, regions, and nations, and we are delivering on all three of those promises.
For the second day in a row, the location of Thursday’s light rail launch swiftly turned into a political rally, with hundreds of anti-government demonstrators yelling “Shame” and booing the government’s judicial reform initiative. Both those who agree with us and those who disagree with us will ride this train, according to Netanyahu.
The Tel Aviv Light Rail will run every day at 5:40 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday. A train arrives every 3.5 minutes during peak hours, every six minutes off-peak until midnight, and on Fridays until an hour and a half before Shabbat.
The lack of service on Saturdays and Jewish holidays has sparked outrage and protests in Tel Aviv, a largely secular city, and reignited the discussion about using public transit on the Sabbath.
However, the operating schedule complies with Israel’s long-standing tradition of not operating public transportation on the Sabbath, particularly on the line that passes through the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, which is located east of Tel Aviv.
Shorter trips will cost a single fee of 5.50 shekels ($1.45), which may be paid via the app or on the national public transit RavKav card, while taking the entire line will cost 12 shekels ($3.17). Both prices are the same as the cost of a city bus ticket.
On the first day, there won’t be any fees. According to the Transportation Ministry, the line will carry 250,000 passengers each day and 70 million annually. The train has been doing test runs without any passengers for months, and the city’s citizens have grown impatient due to the delays brought on by the spring national and Muslim holidays. When the notion of a metro line for Tel Aviv was initially floated about twenty years ago, the first rail line’s inaugural tender was released.
Similar delays led to the 2011 inauguration of the Jerusalem Light Rail. Since then, it has developed into a distinctive element of the mixed metropolis that is regularly used by citizens who are Jewish, Muslim, and Christian, as well as visitors who are traveling through the capital. For both cities, more lines are being planned.
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