After years of construction and billions in cost, the Tel Aviv Light Rail starts heading down the track.
At 5:40 am on Friday morning, history took place as the Tel Aviv Light Rail began operating for the first time.
An estimated 234,000 passengers are expected to ride the rail daily on the Red Line, which spans 24 km. Once up and running fully, the light rail is expected to connect Petah Tikva to Bat Yam via 34 stations through Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan, and Tel Aviv-Jaffa, making the Tel Aviv area accessible from the suburbs and hopefully alleviating the horrendous traffic.
Though most stations are above ground, 10 of them will be underground.
Israel's most expensive infrastructure project to date
Initially estimated to cost NIS 10.7 billion, the nation’s most expensive infrastructure project to date incurred costs that soared above the estimates.
Israelis in Tel Aviv are happy with the new light rail in their city:
"The red line light rail. Feeling like in London or Singapore. I was shopping in Bnei Brak fifteen minutes after I left the house in central Tel Aviv.
end!!!"
"All the best to the entrepreneurs and operators. Can only imagine what life will look like after all the lines run!!!"