Early this week, the Southern District Planning and Building Commission approved for deposit a plan for a railway line to Arad. The public can submit objections to the plan in the coming months. The planned 28-kilometers route will have stations in Kuseif and Arad.
The route will begin at the planned railway station in Nevatim on the Negev railway branch between Beersheva and Dimona. Most of the route will be parallel to Highway 80, and the end segment will be parallel to Highway 31, which enters Arad. In addition to providing service for residents of Arad and Kuseife, the railway is also planned to serve other Bedouin communities, including Fura and Mar'it.
The new railway line is part of the southern development plan, which includes doubling and upgrading of the track in the Negev, development of the air force base at Nevatim, widening the section of Highway 31 between Arad and Shoket, and building a branch of the railway to the base at Nevatim. Southern District Planning and Building Commission chairman David Leffler said that the route "will encourage the founding of new enterprises in the south, thereby ensuring work at a high level for residents of Arad, Kuseife, and the surrounding area."
The plan was submitted by Netivei Israel - National Transport Infrastructure Company and prepared by engineer Shmuel Shagal, in cooperation with architects Eliezer Armon and Bat-Sheva Sherman.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on May 16, 2017
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