The Jerusalem Light Rail as seen from above the old city wall
The Jerusalem Light Rail (Hebrew: הרכבת הקלה בירושלים, HaRakevet HaKala Birushalayim) is a light rail line, the first of several rapid transit lines planned in Jerusalem. Construction began in 2002 and ended in 2010, when the testing phase began. It was built by the CityPass consortium, which has a 30-year concession to operate it. The project required construction of the Jerusalem Chords Bridge as well as other renovation projects around Jerusalem. After repeated delays due to archaeological findings and other issues, service began, initially free of charge, on August 19, 2011. It became fully operational on December 1, 2011. The line is kilometers ( mi) long with 23 stops. Extensions are planned to the north to Neve Yaakov and to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital to the southwest. When completed, these will extend the line's length to km. With a total estimated cost for the initial line of billion NIS (approx. US $ billion), the project was criticized for budget overruns, for its route serving the settlements of East Jerusalem and for contributing to air and noise pollution during construction.
Size: 2658px × 4225px
Location: Old city, Jerusalem Israel
Photo credit: © Eyal Nahmias / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: affordable, birushalayim, capital, cheap, city, citypass, consortium, east, efficient, electric, eyal, fast, hakala, harakevet, holy, israel, jerusalem, land, light, line, lines, mediterranean, middle, mideast, nahmias, public, quiet, rail, rapid, transit, transportation, urban
