The stations in Bnei Brak, the conflicting contracts - and the elections: does Michaeli's announcement amount to a political farce?

The Minister of Transportation's statement about the operation of the light rail on Shabbat is attracting a lot of attention, but any attempt to reveal details about the basis on which it relies is met with a dead end.

And in the meantime, the light rail hasn't traveled one meter yet, and it seems that the politicians who are in a hurry to get on the first trips pay mainly in talk

Kenan Cohen

02/10/2022

Sunday, October 02, 2022, 07:50

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In the video: ultra-Orthodox demonstration in Jerusalem protesting the light rail route (photo: Ultra-Orthodox protest, Yishai Yerushalmi, A. Cohen)

Public transportation in Israel, which has been neglected for so many years, has been able to return to the general discourse in recent years.

The understanding that the traffic situation on the roads is a catastrophe that threatens to collapse the ability to lead a normal life in Gush Dan, and the price we all pay financially, healthily and socially in terms of our standard of living for the addiction to a private car is taking more and more place in the public and rightfully so.

According to the statement made last night (Saturday) by the Minister of Transportation Merav Michaeli that the light rail will operate on Shabbat within a year from today, the statements are based on "significances for operating the light rail on Shabbat" that were requested from NTA, the company that builds the light rail. However, any attempt to get the same report, A document of principles or even the points examined - met with silence from the minister's office.

And the questions are asked because if they do not intend to turn the light rail into a non-profit institution, the public should also know what the operating costs of the train are and what those who use it expect on a day that is not a working day. Bnei Brak demands a change in its operating arrangements, will these stations be canceled or operated without use?

Traveling on the red line of the light rail in Jaffa.

November 2021 (Photo: Reuven Castro)

In addition, it is not clear how an opinion from the NTA company is supposed to provide the infrastructure for such a decision. After all, the operation of the train is ultimately done by an external concessionaire, in this case - Egged. In other words, the NTA may have the closest numbers, but no It is clear how it calculates the shell costs that will be for the operator itself.

Also, no answer was given to the question of whether the operating contract and the signed tenders include operating on Shabbat.

And by the way, legally, according to the minister, the operation of the light rail does not need the approval of the Knesset or the government, and that these things are in the coalition agreement with Prime Minister Lapid.

However, in practice, between a desire or a statement about operating public transportation on Shabbat and its implementation stand technical issues such as collecting money for public transportation on Shabbat and other issues "many things" according to the minister - which are generally under the authority of the Ministry of Justice.

So again, it is not clear what the statement is based on that the issue will be implemented within a year.

More in Walla!

Michaeli: The light rail in Gush Dan will operate on Shabbat - within a year

To the full article

Empty statements?

Michlai (Photo: Flash 90, Avshalom Sashoni)

And there is another matter, on the face of it, the start of operating the light rail near the time of the elections was supposed to be a significant achievement that could be leveraged electorally.

However, when it became clear last week that the operation of the light rail will no longer be at the beginning of November, at the end or maybe not at all during this year - such statements are perhaps the only chance to bring a political achievement from a transportation malfunction.

The main impetus given to this public transportation is definitely credited to the current minister of transportation who, from the beginning of her activity in the ministry, stated that what was is not what will be.

But more or less from the moment the current government went off the rails, the journey became particularly shaky, and in regards to the significant decisions, the strategies - there is not really a professional hand directed at the most significant decisions, but mainly an inability to decide and determine in the important places such as Sed Shalim and the Metro Law.

And statements do attract attention, but it is doubtful whether they stand the test of reality.

The light rail hasn't traveled a meter yet, but politicians from both sides are already boarding it for a maiden ride when payment is being talked about.

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