Posted on 01/13/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Israel's Transportation Ministry is expected to announce the suspension of Jerusalem's light rail train for a period of approximately one week, Walla! reported.
According to the report, the suspension will take place at the end of January. During the five-day period, the trains will appear to operate as usual, but will not transport passengers, instead testing the new operating system installed by the operator, Kfir, along the entire length of the line, from Neve Yaakov to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center.
Following this test period, the light rail will operate for the first time along its entire length, and the "red" line will officially increase in length from 14 kilometers to 22 kilometers, and from 23 stations to 35 stations.
The extended route was scheduled to begin operating approximately two years ago, but was delayed for a number of reasons, including that some of the testing staff, who were from Europe, left Israel in the period following the October 7 massacre.
Light rail construction in the neighborhood of Kiryat Yovel, the first neighborhood after the Mount Herzl stop (currently the end of the light rail route), began in the summer of 2010.
Approximately 180,000 people travel on Jerusalem's light rail each day, and this number is expected to increase to 250,000 after the line is extended, Walla! added, noting that the interval between trains at rush hour is expected to decrease slightly after the line is reopened and additional trains are added.
The Transportation Ministry is expected to operate buses to replace the light rail route during the test period, as well as increase the number of buses on existing routes.
Walla! also reported that during the summer, part of the light rail line will not operate for a period of about a month, to allow for construction of the "green" line scheduled to begin operating in early 2026; the light rail in Givat Shaul, which ends at the entrance to Har Nof, is scheduled to begin operating in 2027.