On video: test ride of the light rail on the Tel Aviv - Bat Yam line (still photography: Reuven Castro, video photography: Yotam Ronen)
The Red Line in Gush Dan advances another step on the way to operation: NTA, which designed and built the line, will hand it over to Thevel, who will operate it this coming Sunday, April 2. The date is important: from the moment of
delivery, according to the contract, Thevel must wait 45 days, including weekends. to practice operating the stations and trains, at the end of which it should be ready to begin commercial service of the line and finally transport passengers from Petach Tikva through Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Holon and Bat Yam. The final operating date will be determined by the Ministry of Transportation, which should determine that Tevel has indeed achieved Eligibility to operate the line.
Two months ago, the Minister of Transportation, Miri Regev, said that she ordered the NTA to open the line by Independence Day, which was supposed to open in October 2022, then was postponed to November 2023. However, it was made clear to Regev that there is no way to advance the schedule without jeopardizing the safety of the operation.
The red line in test rides on Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa (photo: Walla! system, NTA)
The practice phase of Tevel, controlled by Egged, is defined as phase 7 of the project, which will cost the state coffers 18 billion shekels, and includes 34 stations, 10 of which are underground, along 24 km.
If everything goes well, the line will be activated towards the end of May. However, in case of failures in the practice The operation, the opening will be postponed again until June. The line will begin commercial operation on one of the Fridays, with the aim of making the opening on a day with less traffic than a normal day.
Even when the line is activated, it will be operated partially, with only about half of the trains purchased for it, with a frequency of a train every 6 minutes instead of 3 minutes, and at a lower speed than planned. Only in 2024 will the line be put into operation according to the full plan.
Director General of NTA Haim Glick said that "Stage 7 is the last stage of the arduous path that NTA went through together with the residents of Gush Dan. I am excited to announce that The transportation future for millions of passengers in Israel is already just around the corner, and everything is already ready as you can see along the tracks. I feel tremendous pride, for the beautiful gift to our country, in its 75th year."
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