Jerusalem Light Rail

This article or section contains information about a planned or expected public transportation infrastructure.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available.

Mural on Jaffa Road imagining downtown Jerusalem when the light rail system becomes operative

The Jerusalem Light Rail project consists of one, and at a later stage, multiple light rail lines to provide rapid public transport in Jerusalem.

1 Route
2 Special cars
3 Controversy and criticism
4 Archeological findings
5 References
6 External links

Route

The Red Line under construction on Herzl Blvd.

The Chords Bridge under construction (April 08)

The first line is currently under construction and scheduled for completion around 2010. It will run from Pisgat Ze'ev in the northeast, south along Road 60 to Jaffa Road (Rehov Yaffo). From there, it will run along Jaffa Road westward to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, and continue to the southwest, crossing the Chords Bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava, along Herzl Boulevard to Beit HaKerem and terminate near Mount Herzl.

Special cars

Special cars have been commissioned from the French Alstom company to meet Israel's special security needs, with bulletproof windows and a sleek design with no mechanical parts visible and hence less vulnerable to terrorism.

Controversy and criticism

The project has aroused controversy because it will create transport infrastructure linking Israel to Jewish settlements built in East Jerusalem in contravention with several United Nations Security Council Resolutions.^[1]. In consequence, a Dutch bank divested from Veolia Environnement, one of the French companies in the consortium hired to build and operate the rail system.^[2] Both Veolia and Alstom are facing possible legal action in a suit by the Palestinian Liberation Organization in the French courts.^[3]

The works on the first line have been criticised for being extremely polluting. It is believed that fumes from the construction vehicles have raised the amount of 'polluted days' in Jerusalem from 12 in 2006 to 16 in 2007.^[4]. Nonetheless, the system is expected to reduce pollution in the long term, as its all-electric vehicles will replace conventional buses and ostensibly attract more passengers away from private autos.

Archeological findings

While tracks for the light rail were being built in Shuafat, the remains of an ancient Roman-Jewish settlement were discovered. The settlement was described as a "sophisticated community impeccably planned by the Roman authorities, with orderly rows of houses and two fine public bathhouses to the north."^[5]

References

^ See notably United Nations, United Nations Security Council, Resolution 465 (1980), 1 Mar. 1980.
^ Rapoport, M., ‘Dutch bank divests holdings in J’lem light rail, cites settlements’, Haaretz, 6 Dec. 2006, URL <http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/795387.html>.
^ McCarthy, R. and Chrisafis, A., ‘PLO disputes Jerusalem rail plan’, The Guardian, 26 Oct. 2007, URL <http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,2199618,00.html>.
^ Ben Nun, Gil (2008-02-26). "Jerusalem 2008 Style: Mountain Air Full of Dust", Mid-week edition, Yedioth Ahronoth, pp. 4.
^ Isabel Kerhsner (June 5, 2007). "Under a Divided City, Evidence of a Once United One". Retrieved on 2008-01-29.