Netanyahu takes (partial) maiden voyage on Jerusalem to Tel Aviv fast train
Inaugural ride whisks PM, transportation minister to Ben Gurion Airport and back, since Tel Aviv stretch still not complete
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tested Israel’s new high-speed train from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv on Thursday, but much work remains before it is fully operational.
Netanyahu joined Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz on the ride from a newly built train station in Jerusalem’s city center to Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
That portion of the route is due to open to the public on Tuesday, but trains will not yet be able to reach Tel Aviv itself or other locations.
Travelling at speeds up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour, the ride from central Jerusalem to the airport will take 25 minutes — half the time it takes to drive there in normal traffic, though congestion often makes the trip much longer.
There is also an older train that runs from Jerusalem to the airport, but that journey takes some two hours and requires a change.
Netanyahu spoke briefly before the ride, saying it was a “historic day” and the beginning of a “new era.”
The new train was due to open in April, but work to prepare the line has been slower than expected and its launch repeatedly delayed.
The new line includes 40 kilometers (25 miles) of tunnels and eight bridges, with a small part of it passing through the West Bank.
Companies involved in the project include Canadian firm Bombardier, Spain’s Semi and France’s Alstom.
Israel also wants to extend the line to include a Western Wall station.
Katz said Thursday that the new line was cause for “celebration” for Jerusalem.
“Now, more than ever, when there are people trying to challenge and question the Jewish people’s connection to Jerusalem and ownership of it, we’re connecting Jerusalem,” he said.
