The Gush Dan (Tel Aviv Metropolitan region) Metro is scheduled to begin operations only in 2037 but work on the ground is already underway. This week, a major step was taken toward building the network in Tel Aviv when the National Licensing Authority within the Planning Administration granted, for the first time, authorization for a permit to carry out construction work for a Metro station. This authorization effectively enables the construction of the underground building for the Ariel Sharon Park station on the M3 line.
Construction of the station involves the excavation and removal of roughly 300,000 cubic meters of earth, erecting underground retaining walls reaching a depth of about 38 meters, and the preparation of infrastructure for the station itself and the Metro tracks. The work is expected to take some 25 months. The station is on open land, about 230 meters from Azor and 350 meters from Ganot and environmental assessments show that noise levels will not exceed permitted limits.
This authorization marks another step toward the first "Infra 1" tender, which NTA Metropolitan Mass Transit System is set to publish in the coming weeks. Nineteen international consortia, having successfully passed the recently concluded pre-qualification stage, will compete in this tender.
"Metro construction work is gaining momentum ahead of the massive tenders for tunneling and station construction," says Lea Shmool, head of the Metro’s M3 line directorate. "Ariel Sharon Park Station, along with four others in Or Yehuda and Holon, will serve as the launch point for the tunnel-boring machines heading toward Bat Yam and Petah Tikva. All of these are part of the first phase of the tender."
30 sites already operating
M3 is one of three lines in the metro network being advanced by NTA. The line will connect major residential, employment, commercial, medical, and transportation hubs in the Tel Aviv metropolitan region. The line will pass through Bat Yam, Holon, Ariel Sharon Park, the Bik'at Ono area, near Tel HaShomer hospital, Petah Tikva, Ramat HaHayal, Kiryat Shaul, Glilot, Ramat HaSharon, and Herzliya. There will also be a branch line serving Ben Gurion Airport and a central operations complex in Or Yehuda.
Metro-related work is already underway across the Gush Dan region. Currently, there are 30 active work sites and preparatory zones, a number expected to grow to 70 next year. Among other activities, work is being carried out at maintenance and operations complexes (depots) in Rishonim, Segula, and Mesubim, alongside construction in Tel Aviv, Holon, Bnei Brak, Givatayim, Givat Shmuel, Kiryat Ono, and Petah Tikva.
"The first authorization for the construction of a Metro station marks a significant transition from plans on paper to substantial engineering work in the field," said Ron Rekah, Director of the National Licensing Authority at the Israel Planning Administration. "Constructing an underground Metro station is an engineering task and complex undertaking requiring coordination among dozens of stakeholders, detailed planning, and compliance with stringent safety and environmental requirements. Completing the licensing process enables the commencement of work at the Ariel Sharon Park station and serves as an important foundation for advancing the subsequent stations in the Metro network."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 20, 2026.
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