Tag Archive for Public Transportation

Tel Aviv will begin public transportation on the Sabbath

A new public transport system has been approved for service on Shabbat and will operate for free in Tel Aviv and other metro areas by the end of the year.
– “Public transportation is a basic right, on Shabbat like on any other day, and … [it will] bring Israel to the standards that are worthy of a state in 2019.”

By Ben Ariel

 

The Finance Committee of the Municipality of Tel Aviv decided on Tuesday evening to secure a budget that will allow for a public transportation system to operate for free on Shabbat and to be activated by the end of the year. Continue Reading »

Tunnel Boring Machine, ‘Golda’ begins digging Tel Aviv’s light rail train

 

The first tunnel boring machine, ‘Golda’, named after Israel’s first female Prime Minister, begins working on Tel Aviv’s light rail train route.

By Arutz Sheva Staff

 

The first excavation machine for the light rail route in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area has been named ‘Golda,’ after the late Prime Minister Golda Meir.

The excavation machine ‘Golda’ began work today (Sunday) to clear land for the laying of the tracks, which will serve Tel Aviv and surrounding parts of the Gush Dan region in the center of the country.

Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) digging planed underground electric light rail train route – [illustration] YouTube

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) said: “Golda Meir was the first [woman] to serve as Prime Minister, and was one of the six who laid the cornerstone here. Continue Reading »

Latest Israeli project: High speed rail from Tel Aviv to Western Wall in 30 minutes

 

Minister of Transportation Katz orders plans drawn for high-speed railway extension from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, allowing riders to get from an underground station in the Old City, close to the Western Wall, to Tel Aviv in under half an hour.

By Ofer Petersburg

 

Minister of Transportation and Road Safety Yisrael Katz has instructed the ministry’s staff to promote the planning of an extension to the upcoming high-speed railway line from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem so that it extends into the Old City, near the Western Wall. As part of the project, an underground stop will be built in the Western Wall area. Continue Reading »

SkyTran futuristic transport pods have hit setback with Tel Aviv plans

 

The futuristic space pod transport that could solve Israel’s housing crisis now has plans set for Netanya and Herzliya, promising to upend the way people get from place to place.

By NIV ELIS

 

In a retro-futuristic vision of the 21st century, people might zip from place to place in sleek pods, as a robotic assistant prepared a home-cooked meal and an electric dog wagged its tail in anticipation of its owner arriving home.

‘THERE’S NO MORE room for surface solutions,’ says SkyTran CEO and chairman Jerry Sanders. - Photo: Courtesy

‘THERE’S NO MORE room for surface solutions,’ says SkyTran CEO and chairman Jerry Sanders. – Photo: Courtesy

As the technological revolution of the 21st century makes artificial intelligence and personal assistants more of a reality, they may not be taking the form of Rosie the robot from The Jetsons.
Continue Reading »

Four monster Tunnel Boring Machines on their way to Israel

 

view videoFour Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) are on its way to Israel to construct the planed underground electric light rail train routes that are expected to be fully operational by 2021.

By Itay Blumental

 

At a press conference to mark a year since the beginning of construction on the Red Line near the Israel Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan, Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said “despite the gloomy forecasts of traffic jams from Netanya to Gadera and of the area becoming infested with rats, we have overcome everything.”

The segment of the light rail construction next to the Israel Diamond Exchange – Photo: Motti Kimchi

The work on the Red Line light rail train which is due to connect the cities of Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva, and Ramat Gan has taken a giant leap forward with the introduction of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) which will be used to dig the train tunnels 90 feet under the surface.The Continue Reading »

Buses to run in Jerusalem on Shabbat

The “Shabus” bus line will begin operating with 3 mini-buses from an east Jerusalem transportation company from 8 pm Friday night to 2 am on Saturdays.

 

The Cooperative Transportation Association of Jerusalem will begin operating its new “Shabus” program next weekend, introducing buses that will run between Jerusalem neighborhoods and the city’s nightlife destinations on Friday night.

Members of the Cooperative Transportation Association of Jerusalem holding signs for the new bus line that will run on Shabbat, called “Shabus” – Photo: Ori Katzman

Public transportation in the vast majority of Israeli cities does not operate on Shabbat. Continue Reading »

Payback: Petition forbids ministers from using gov’t vehicles on Saturdays & holidays

‘It’s time elected officials set an example,’ says petition creator, in response to Transportation Minister Katz’s dismissive attitude in launching public transport on Saturdays.

By Itay Blumental

 

After Transportation Minister Israel Katz angered many Israelis this week with his dismissive response to the demand for public transportation on Saturdays and holidays, citizens decided to fight back with a petition calling to bar ministers from using their government vehicles in days public transport does not run.

Transportation Minister Katz: No trains on Shabbat – Photo: Transportation Ministry

“It’s important to forbid ministers who prevent the operation of public transportation on Saturdays and holidays from using their government vehicles, which are funded by tax-payers,” read the petition, which has been signed by over 5,500 people so far. Continue Reading »

Israel Aerospace Industries to build world’s 1st elevated rapid-transit line in Israel

A pilot network will be built at the IAI campus in central Israel & if successful, will be followed by a fully operational rapid-transit system in Tel Aviv.

By Ari Rabinovitch

 

REUTERS – California-based skyTran has teamed up with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to construct the world’s first public pilot project for skyTran’s elevated transit network.

An illustration of the Skytran transit system.

An illustration of the Skytran transit system. – Photo: www.skytran.us

A number of skyTran projects are being planned globally, including in India and the United States, pending the success of the pilot in Israel.

The pilot will be a 400-500 meter (yard) loop built at IAI’s campus in central Israel and, if successful, will be followed by a commercial network in Tel Aviv in the coming years, skyTran CEO Jerry Sanders told Reuters, without disclosing the cost.

Continue Reading »

ONLY IN ISRAEL: Town of Sderot inaugurates 1st rocket-proof train station

Now that their city is connected to the country’s national rail network, residents of Sderot will be able to reach Tel Aviv in just under 60 minutes.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu: This is a milestone in the realization of the vision of connecting all of Israel.

By Gadi Golan & Israel Hayom Staff

 

 

A new train station in the southern city of Sderot was inaugurated on Tuesday in a festive ceremony attended by top government officials.

Rocket-Proof Rail Station Opens in Sderot

Israel’s New Rocket-Proof Rail Station Opens in Sderot

 

By linking up to Israel’s national railway system, Sderot residents will be able to reach Tel Aviv in just under an hour. Continue Reading »

Israel’s controversial rail route to Eilat gets approval in gov’t committee

 

New rail-line draws fire from social activists, environmentalists, and Ephraim Halevy, an ex-Mossad chief warned that Chinese involvement might harm Israeli interests.

By  

‘The fast track to approve the train to Eilat is liable to turn into a fast track to destroying nature in the Negev and damaging the Gulf of Eilat,’ said the Enviornment Protection Ministry.

Eilat train

A ministerial committee approved on Sunday a train route between Tel Aviv and Eilat, the most expensive transportation project Israel has ever undertaken. – Photo: Dov Greenblatt – Simulation: Tomer Harari

Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz was the only one who opposed the rail line. Continue Reading »

Haifa Launched Unique ‘Metronit’, Fast Stretched-Bus System

Friday, Israel’s northern city of Haifa launched a special fast stretched-bus system, the Metronit, aimed at reducing traffic & commuting times.

By Maayana Miskin

 

The city of Haifa’s Metronit system launched on Friday. The system is undergoing  a test run, during which passengers can ride the Metronit buses for free.

Haifa’s Metronit mass-transit system launched on Friday

City officials will weigh the impact of the new system and will consider changes to local bus routes.

The Metronit system uses a special extra-long, fast bus, with several doors to allow for quicker pauses at crowded bus stops. The bus will be given precedence at intersections and will have several streets to itself, allowing it to progress quickly through the city. Continue Reading »