Trains on Jerusalem’s high-speed line halted due to locomotive malfunction
Technical failure forces maintenance crews to shut down power lines used by trains; passengers bused to their destinations
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The fast train service between Jerusalem and Ben Gurion Airport was halted Wednesday due to a technical malfunction in a locomotive that was being tested near the Daniel Interchange.
The locomotive’s pantograph, which connects the car to the power cables overhead, was dislodged, incapacitating it.
In order to tow the engine from the scene, maintenance teams were forced to power down the cables, stopping all trains along the line. Buses were sent to take the passengers on the stalled trains to their destinations.
The new high-speed line from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion Airport was inaugurated with much fanfare in September, but has since seen numerous malfunctions, delays and shutdowns.
In December it was announced that Israel Railways CEO Shahar Ayalon would step down following recent quarterly losses of hundreds of millions of shekels, as well as the ongoing problems with services.
The original estimated completion date for the line passed years ago. Then the opening was delayed by another five months.
Plans were for the trains to run directly from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, but due to delays in electrifying the line from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv, passengers can only travel between Jerusalem and the airport at present. There they must change trains for the remainder of the journey.
The Times of Israel Community.