Train stations in TA will be shutting down for days at a time come September; though it will cause immense traffic jams, the work will result in a cleaner, faster, train system.
Light rail construction has already caused huge traffic jams throughout the Gush Dan and Tel Aviv areas, but an even bigger traffic headache is coming; electric works on the Israel Railways stations in Tel Aviv are set to begin soon, shutting down the train stations in the city.
The closures will occur starting in September, and are expected to occur over the course of the next two years.
The train stations in Tel Aviv and throughout the country are due for massive upgrades, which include track and electrical system upgrades.
While the Tel Aviv Municipality and Israel Railways say that there will be a shuttle system, there will still be huge increases in traffic.
The Spanish SEMI Corporation won the bid to rebuild the electrical systems in the train stations in the center of the country. They will be upgrading the electrical lines by putting new electric poles or upgrading existing poles along the length of the rail lines, alongside upgrading the electric rail line itself. The entire project will cost NIS12 million.
Electric trains are able to go faster – thus shortening travel times – are less likely to break down, and produce less air pollution. While electric trains have been in use for decades in western Europe and the US, Israel is lagging behind, and will electrify over 260 miles of track.
The head of Israel Railways said in response that “this complex project, including dismantling the existing rail lines and creating new, upgraded ones. This will require Israel Railways to enact temporary closures lasting several days on train stations in Tel Aviv. This means that trains coming from the north will end at Herzeliya station, while trains coming from the south will end at Tel Aviv Hahagana. The Ministry of Transport and Israel Railways are working to find transport solutions between the closed stations.”
As reported by Ynetnews