Jerusalem Red Line extension delayed until later this year
Jerusalem light rail Red Line credit: Shutterstock
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The eight kilometer extension of the light rail Red Line had been scheduled to open in July 2023.
The Jerusalem light rail Red Line extension will now not open until the second half of 2024 because of further delays caused by the war. According to the financial report of Shapir Engineering and Industries Ltd. (TASE: SPEN), part of the J-Net consortium which builds, maintains and operates the Red Line together with Spanish company CAF, the extension will now open in the second half of 2024.
In January 2023, Minister of Transport Miri Regev and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion went on a trial run along the Red Line extension. Lion announced that the extension would begin operating in July 2023. But the government granted J-Net an extension of four months because the project was not ready on time. The start of the war caused further problems with CAF's workforce leaving the country, making November 2023 not viable, and now the opening of the project has been put back until the second half of 2024..
The current 14 kilometers of the Red Line between Pisgat Zeev and Mount Herzl began operating in 2011. The line is now being extended by a further 8 kilometers with eight new stations to Hadassah Medical Center in the southeast and four new stations to Neve Yaakov in the north.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on April 1, 2024.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.
Jerusalem light rail Red Line credit: Shutterstock