A third of Jerusalem's light rail cars wrecked by violence

Passengers told to expect disruption and delay

Only 15 of the Jerusalem’s light rail’s 23 cars remained in operation as of Tuesday. The public transportation system has faced disruptions as a result of violence that has continued sporadically for two months.

The light rail has been confronted by frequent occurrences of rock- and firebomb-throwing, damaging many cars and leaving them unfit for use. Several East Jerusalem residents have been arrested during incidents of destruction.

Some stations, including the one in Shuafat in northern Jerusalem, have been damaged multiple times.

The violence spiked in the aftermath of the killing of an Arab teenager in early July, allegedly by Jewish terrorists avenging the killings of three teenagers in the West Bank the previous month.

CityPass, the company that runs Jerusalem’s light rail, warned passengers Tuesday to expect delays in the service due to the violence and damage.

“This means that fewer trains are available than are needed, and that will reduce the frequency [of trains] all along the line,” it said in a statement.

A Palestinian woman and her children wait for the light rail, in the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat in north Jerusalem. (photo credit: Sliman Khader/Flash90)

Jerusalem is the first city in Israel to have a light rail. The light rail was once seen as a beacon of shared existence because it connects Arab and Jewish neighborhoods in the city. The system was designed to assist the diverse population of Jerusalem including “residents of different neighborhoods, students, visitors, tourists,” according to CityPass’s website.

Haviv Ruttig Gur contributed to this report.