New high-speed Jerusalem train gets stuck in tunnel

The new electric, high-speed train from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv suffered a lengthy delay Thursday, with passengers reporting being stuck in a tunnel for 25 minutes shortly after leaving the capital’s Yitzhak Navon Station.

Israel Railways confirmed the delay, and the cancellation of the next train, but offered no explanation.

The route — which currently only goes as far as Ben Gurion Airport — began regular operations Tuesday. The train to the airport usually takes 21 minutes and runs every half hour.

The hilly section from Jerusalem to Latrun has five tunnels and several miles of bridges, which afford dramatic views of the Jerusalem hills.

In the coming months the line will be extended, first to Tel Aviv’s stations and eventually to Herzliya. Depending on the time of day, up to four trains will run each hour in both directions, traveling at up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour.

The first regular services began five months late; opening day was scheduled for the Passover holiday in April. The original estimated completion date passed years ago.

The project was conceived in 2001, at an estimated cost of around NIS 3.5 billion ($978 million). Works began in 2005, only to be halted by environmentalist opposition until 2009. Tunneling recommenced in 2012. The final cost amounts to around NIS 6.5 billion ($1.8 billion).

The train has been long awaited by travelers who until now have had only a slow rail ride that meandered through the Jerusalem hills on an old Ottoman-era track and took over an hour.