Train services in Israel will not resume as planned tomorrow morning, amid a sustained rise in coronavirus cases, officials announce.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says discussions will be held on the matter at a Monday meeting of the so-called coronavirus cabinet, which will consider the steps needed to deal with the increase in cases, including the issue of public transportation.
The meeting had been expected to be held today.
View of the train and tracks during a test drive of the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv high-speed train in central Israel on January 16, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
The Transportation Ministry confirms that Israel Railways will not resume passenger services as expected, and instead continue preparations to restart at a later date.
“In light of the rise in coronavirus cases, Israel Railways will not resume the passenger train system tomorrow,” the ministry says in a statement. “The Transportation Ministry is preparing for its later resumption, subject to the Prime Minister’s decision and in accordance with the case data.”
Israel’s rail network shut down in March as part of the government’s efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Last week it was announced that it would resume on June 8, after a number of previous postponements.
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