Tel Aviv Light Rail Tram to Launch in April

News » Life Style

Minister of Transportation Miri Regev announced at a press conference that the Tel Aviv light rail red line will start operating on Independence Day, April 26, 2023.

Regev said: “I have discussed all the issues that were causing the delays with the NTA and I hope that after Independence Day the Red Line will be operational. And if not, I have made it clear to them that I will not continue the agenda as it is. After Independence Day, if you don't start transport, you'll know what I plan to do.

The Tel Aviv Light Rail Red Line, which runs from Bat Yam, Jaffa and Tel Aviv via Ramat- Gan and Bnai Brak in Petah Tikva, was supposed to start work as early as October 2021. The company overseeing the opening of the Red Line has warned that it may not start operations until June 2023, but the NTA has not accepted its findings, and the Ministry of Transportation has refused to set a date until today.

The opening of the Red Line has been delayed due to – for a malfunction of the signaling system. A report by state controllers, published last November, indicated a number of NTA errors that led to delays, and also predicted that the line would not be opened at the promised time due to too short a time allotted for procedures testing, which happened in the end.

Channel 12 News reporter Gal Chen said the new transport minister is considering handing over the light rail project from the NTA to another company, possibly Netivei Israel National Transport Infrastructure Co., chairman which is Yigal Amedi, who has close ties to Miri Regev.

Follow us on Telegram