Emek Refaim businesses, residents on edge as long-dreaded train construction begins

After years of planning and protests, construction of a new light rail track on Jerusalem’s storied Emek Refaim Street is set to begin next week. It’s a fact that not everyone in the area has made peace with yet — but local business owners, such as Dalia Stav, who has owned a jewelry store on the street for 30 years, say they still don’t know exactly what to expect.

“I’m very angry,” Stav told The Times of Israel during a survey this week of the street’s merchants. “I grew up here. There’s no other place like this in Jerusalem, a beautiful and authentic neighborhood full of cafes and artists’ shops. And now they are going to destroy it to add a light rail and make it more urban. For what? So the municipality can build taller buildings and make more money?”

Starting Monday at 7:00 a.m., development work on Emek Refaim is set to begin as the city, through its Moriah Development Corporation, begins repaving the street and sidewalks, upgrading infrastructure, adding benches and street lighting, and setting up the future light rail station. Foot traffic on sidewalks will be open during the entire process, which is expected to take several years. Work methods will be used to minimize noise pollution and avoid damaging existing trees along the street, the city has said.

During this time, Emek Refaim will become a one-way street for transportation — southbound from the Beit Lehem Road to Rachel Imeinu Street, and northbound from the Oranim junction to Rachel Imeinu. Public transportation will continue to run on the street, with adaptations made for each route. Detour routes through adjacent streets have been mapped out and are expected to bring heavy traffic to the pastoral neighborhoods of Baka and the German Colony.

According to the plan, this first stage of renovations will take several years. Subsequently, a quieter second stage of construction will begin as rails are laid along that portion of the train route, known as the Blue Line. If all goes according to plan, the southern portion of the Blue Line, from the neighborhood of Gilo to the city center, will be operational by 2028, and the entire 52-station track, extending to Ramat Eshkol in the northern part of the city, will be operational by 2030.

A municipal spokesperson told The Times of Israel that three train stops are planned along Emek Refaim: One near the corner of Rachel Imeinu Street, one at Oranim junction, and one near the First Station complex on the north end of the street.

Stav, like many other business owners on the street, isn’t exactly sure what the construction will look like for locals — or what it will mean for her business.

“I don’t know what it will feel like walking around,” Stav said. “A lot of my clients live around here, and I hope it won’t be loud and dirty and disgusting. But tourists? There is no way they’ll come here.”

What is clear is that Stav isn’t going to simply pack up and leave.

“We are here as we have been for 30 years,” she said. “We are staying in this location, and we will do everything we can to remain here.”

Shaping the city

Emek Refaim Street was first built in the late 19th century as the main traffic artery of the German Colony neighborhood, founded by members of the German Protestant Templer movement. During World War II, many were deported by the British, who suspected them of harboring Nazi sympathies, and their homes were later inhabited by Jewish immigrants. Over time, the neighborhood became a cosmopolitan area, inhabited by many English-speaking immigrants. By the beginning of the 21st century, Emek Refaim Street had become one of Jerusalem’s most vibrant cultural centers, known for its blend of historic architecture, upscale cafes, boutique shops, and a distinctly relaxed ambiance.

When plans were announced a decade ago to run one of the city’s new light rail tracks down the street, there was a public uproar, with critics arguing that it would destroy the character of the neighborhood, disrupt residents and local businesses, and lead to the demolition of historic buildings. However, years of protests, legal challenges, and alternative route proposals were unsuccessful in making significant changes to the plan.

City officials maintain that the light rail project will make the German Colony more livable, upgrading infrastructure, reducing traffic congestion and pollution, and improving public transportation for the entire city.

The Blue Line, extending 31 kilometers (19 miles) from the north of Jerusalem to the south, will be the third of three light rail lines that city planners expect will overhaul the capital’s transportation infrastructure, providing room to grow as it prepares to add tens of thousands of new apartments over the coming decade.

The light rail will also open new opportunities for real estate developers, allowing them to build more high-value apartments in a pricey neighborhood where space is at a premium. The city’s master plan allows for taller buildings to be constructed on streets along the light rail route.

“Currently, new homes along this street go for NIS 60,000 per square meter [$1,507 per square foot], and I have no doubt this will go up after construction is completed,” said Moshe Bennaim of Bennaim Real Estate, speaking to The Times of Israel in his Emek Refaim office. “This will be a very good step for the entire area.”

Fuzzy expectations

Not everyone is as excited about the near future, however. Merchants and residents are nervously waiting to find out whether disruptions from the upcoming construction will be a mid-level inconvenience or a full-blown catastrophe.

Residents are already bracing for increased noise and fear that road detours will bring heavy traffic to quiet side streets.

“There are a lot of schools around here and a lot of kids walking around, so people are worried about congestion and safety,” said Ben Green, a Jerusalemite living a few blocks from Emek Refaim.

Work will be done 12 hours a day, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and normal noise levels are to be expected, a municipal spokesperson said, without clarifying what “normal” means. When exceptional cases arise, residents will be notified ahead of time, the city says.

In anticipation of the road work, “for rent” signs have already appeared on many storefronts along Emek Refaim, with many businesses choosing to move or shut their doors. Others are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Emmanuel, manager of the Max Brenner Chocolate store branch on the corner of Emek Refaim and Rachel Imeinu, said he isn’t sure what to expect.

“We have no idea what will be,” he said. “I imagine they will set up pathways along the street so people can get to stores, but I really don’t know.

For now, Max Brenner, like many other merchants interviewed for this article, plans to continue operating as usual.

“Once we understand what is happening, we can decide if we need to make any changes moving forward,” Emmanuel said.

Others are already making contingency plans.

Chaya Gross, owner of Chaya’s Place Gallery and Gifts, said she is preparing to open a second branch in the city center to make up for lost income.

“I’m not going to give up my place here because a lot of my customers live around here, but I’m not expecting tourists to come,” she said. “An opportunity opened up in the center of town, so I’ll split my time between the two shops until my lease here runs out, and decide what to do then.”

The city has been making efforts to help businesses out. Earlier this week, it began setting up a row of food trucks along the Hamesila railway park that runs parallel to Emek Refaim to provide an additional source of revenue for restaurants affected by the construction.

The food trucks are away from the main drag, and locals have already started complaining that they will ruin the atmosphere along the quiet, grass-lined walking path, but the municipality says it is committed to helping local businesses succeed during the construction.

“I don’t know if it will work,” said Daniel Ronen, co-owner of Birma Coffee, one of the 10 eateries chosen to get a food truck. “But it will be the same type of crowd as our usual customers, so we’ll offer takeaway options and see what happens.”

At least one business owner has high expectations for the coming period. Brit Shalom opened up her gourmet grilled cheese restaurant, Blondie, just a month ago.

“This place just felt right,” Shalom said about her Emek Refaim storefront. “I am worried about the construction, but I need to trust God and trust myself.”

Shalom hopes she is due for some good luck. Her first restaurant in Jerusalem had to close due to a lack of customers during the coronavirus pandemic. A later business, a cafe in a town in northern Israel, was just days from opening when Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah followed suit a day later. Shalom and her spouse were evacuated from their home and eventually moved back to Jerusalem.

“I hope this business works,” Shalom said. “Enough is enough.”