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Jerusalem Light Rail

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Jerusalem Light Rail
Light Railway on Jaffa Road, March 2011, looking east from Jaffa Road/King George St.
Overview
StatusOpened
OwnerCityPass Consortium
LocaleJerusalem
Termini
Stations23
Websitewww.citypass.co.il
Service
TypeTram
Services1 (Pisgat Ze'ev-Mount Herzl)
Operator(s)CityPass
Depot(s)French Hill depot
Rolling stockAlstom Citadis 302
History
OpenedAugust 19, 2011
Technical
Line length13.8 km (8.6 mi)[1]
Track gaugeStandard gauge
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph)[citation needed]
Route map
Jerusalem Light Rail
Red Line
Legend
 Neve Yaakov
Yitzhak Tabenkin
Mazal Keshet
Moshe Dayan North
Heil Ha-Avir
Sayeret Dukhifat
Pisgat Ze'ev Center
Yekuti'el Adam
Beit 'Hanina
Shu'afat
Es-Sahl
Depot
 Giv'at Ha-Mivtar
Ammunition Hill
Shim'on Ha-Tsadik
Shivtei Israel
Damascus Gate
City Hall
Jaffa Center
Ha-Davidka
Mahane Yehuda
Ha-Turim
Central Bus Station Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station Jerusalem central bus station
Kiryat Moshe
He-'Halutz
Denia Square
Yefeh Nof
Mount Herzl
Shmaryahu Levin
Kiryat HaYovel West
Mifletzet Park
Henrietta Szold East
Kiryat Menachem
Ora Junction
Medical School
Hadassah Ein Kerem
Mural on Jaffa Road imagining downtown Jerusalem when the light rail system becomes operative

The Jerusalem Light Rail or Jerusalem Tramway project consists of one, and at a later stage, multiple light rail and BRT lines to provide rapid transit in Jerusalem. Construction of the first line began in 2002 and ended in 2010, when field testing began. After repeated delays, the line began limited passenger service 19th of August 2011 and will be fully operational by November/December 2011.[2]

Background

In ancient times, Jerusalem was a point on the "Ridge Route", also known as the "Way of the Patriarchs", centrally located between the Via Maris (along the coast to the west) and the King's Highway (east of the River Jordan).[3] The primary roads led to the gates of the Old City such as the Jaffa Gate and the Damascus Gate. It was along these roads that the city grew when it expanded beyond the walls of the Old City in the 19th Century. The major thoroughfares of the city thus becoming the Jaffa Road, leading to the west in the direction of the coastal plain, the watershed routes (Ridge Route) leading north to Ramallah, Nablus, and Damascus, and south to Bethlehem and Hebron, and one to the east to Jericho.[4]

Plans to build an electric tramway/light rail were first created by the Greek Lebanese engineer George Franjieh in 1892, after his involvement in the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway. The tram would connect the city with Ein Kerem and Bethlehem.[5] In 1910, a tender for a tramway was published by the Ottoman authorities.[6]

In the 1970s, due to the congestion of the main narrow roads, plans were drawn up to significantly expand them in the city center.[7] These met with heavy opposition,[7] and in the 1990s, the government created new plans for an integrated network, relying heavily on rapid transit, including light rail and bus rapid transit.[8]

Construction

The Red Line under construction
on Herzl Boulevard

Light rail was promoted in the 1990s as a means of providing faster and less polluting public transit through the heart of the city, as well as reversing the decline of certain central areas. CityPass, a specially formed consortium, won a 30-year concession to build and operate Line 1 (the "Red Line").[1] CityPass consists of financiers Harel (20%), Polar Investments (17.5%) and the Israel Infrastructure Fund (10%), constructors Ashtrom (27.5%) and engineers Alstom (20%), plus service operators – Connex (now Veolia Transport) (5%).[9] Veolia abandoned the project in 2009,[10] selling its 5% stake to Dan Public Transportation Co.[11]

However, the principle agreement with Dan did not materialize. Veolia entered another principle agreement with Egged Transport. Veolia wants to sell its stake in CityPass, and its shares in the contract for the maintenance of the light rail to Egged. The contract also stipulates that Veolia will provide consultancy services to Egged, until the company acquires the necessary expertise.[12] Dan has taken Veolia to court for exiting the principle agreement.[13]

Construction of Line 1 began in 2002 with the opening scheduled for August 2011.[14] Dubbed the 'Red Line', it will initially have 23 stations on a new 1,435 mm gauge twin-track 13.8 km alignment.[1] It is planned to run from Pisgat Ze'ev in the northeast, south along Road 1 (intercity) to Jaffa Road (Rehov Yaffo). From there, it is planned to run along Jaffa Road westward to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, and continue to the southwest, crossing the Chords Bridge along Herzl Boulevard to the Beit HaKerem neighborhood, and finishing just beyond Mount Herzl next to Bayit VeGan.[15] The first test run for this route was on February 24, 2010.[16] The laying of the railroad tracks was completed on June 15, 2010.[9]

The official start date for the train was Friday, August 19, 2011. A collapse of the computerized ticketing system posed another expected delay. Fixing the ticketing system is expected to take at least one month. However, after arbitration between CityPass and governmental officials, it was decided that the trains should begin limited operation as scheduled even if that meant that, initially, passengers would ride for free.[17]

Additional development along the route

As part of the light rail project, CityPass is developing a number of sites along the route, including Davidka Square.

In late 2009, the planting of trees began along the line. The species selected were deemed suitable to the Jerusalem climate, hardy enough to withstand the capital's cold winters while providing shade in summer. Over 3,500 trees were planted along the route in 2009–2011. The genera include platanus, ash and types of oak.[18] In March 2011 however, the Ministry of Transportation prohibited having trees adjacent to the route, due to visibility problems, and up to 170 trees were or will be uprooted.[19]

CityPass is also expected to install blind-friendly traffic lights along the entire route of the light rail, at the behest of Jerusalem's municipality.[20]

Bus and train connections

In future years, the Jerusalem Central Bus Station will became a major passenger transportation hub. In addition the new light rail station, a new underground railway station is being built for the new high-speed railway to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport; passengers will also be able to board the existing intercity bus services at the station.

Park and ride

A park and ride facility was built near Mount Herzl, consisting of a multi-storey car park and the first line terminal on its roof, which is actually at the street level of Herzl boulevard.

The Chords Bridge

Main article: Chords Bridge

The Chords Bridge, also known as the Santiago Calatrava Bridge or the Bridge of Strings is a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge that was built for the light rail close to the most frequently used entrance to Jerusalem, in the neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe. The bridge will be used to carry the trams in a grade separated manner over the busy road intersection. Incorporated in the bridge is a glass-sided pedestrian crossing enabling pedestrians to quickly cross from the Kiryat Moshe area to the Central Bus Station grounds. The bridge was designed by the Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava.

Long-term master plan

The Jerusalem municipality's long-term public transportation master plan is to eventually have eight bus rapid transit (BRT) and light rail lines across the city.[21]

Extension of the first line

23 August, 2010, First demo run

Initial extensions to the first line were planned to the neighborhoods of Neve Ya'akov in the northeast and Ein Kerem (nearby Hadassah Hospital) in the southwest. Former mayor Uri Lupoliansky stated that they would be completed at the same time as the rest of the line. In 2008, French company Egis Rail won a 11.9 million Euro contract to support the extensions of the first line. However, in March 2009, CityPass announced that it would not be interested in working on the extensions.[22] In May 2010 the Jerusalem Municipality announced that it will handle implementation of the extension of the red line. It stated that it had already started to build the extension, which will be built by state authorities and not by private companies. The extension will be from the Neve Ya'akov neighborhood, a southern extension to Kiryat Menachem and an inter-campus line connecting the Mount Scopus and Givat Ram campuses of the Hebrew University. The planned date for completion remains indefinite.[23]

North-South BRT Line

The first bus rapid transit (BRT) line has already been built to act as a feeder line to the Light Railway. The BRT line is a dedicated bus line running along Hebron Road in south Jerusalem, northwards to Keren HaYesod Street, then King George V Street, where it crosses the path of the light rail, continues along Strauss Street towards Shabbat Square, along Yechezkel Street and Shmuel HaNavi Street, towards Golda Meir Boulevard, in the direction of Ramot. Buses on this route are operated exclusively by the Egged Transportation Cooperative.[21] Other buses also use the bus lanes, including tour buses and white Arab buses and mini-buses that run from the Damascus Gate.

Rolling stock

Alstom train for use in the light rail

Initial rolling stock are to be 46 Citadis 302 100% low-floor five-module units manufactured at Alstom's Aytré factory. The first car was delivered via the Port of Ashdod in September 2007. All axles are driven to handle up to 9% inclines. The maintenance and storage depot for the whole fleet is to be located on a 10 acres (40,000 m2) site near French Hill in the north of Jerusalem. The route and vehicles are to be monitored from the control center, and trams are to be driven under line of sight principles, with built-in priority at many road intersections. The fare collection and ticketing system is to be supplied by Affiliated Computer Services.[1]

Operation

The line will operate Sunday to Friday, from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm; but not during the Jewish Sabbath. Frequency will be every 4.5 minutes during rush hours, every 8 minutes in the daytime and every 12 minutes at night. It is expected to carry up to 23,000 passengers an hour during peak morning rush hours.[21] The French-based company Veolia Transport, which held 5% of CityPass's shares, was originally meant to operate the light rail. However, due to pressure from groups united in the Derail Veolia Campaign, Veolia sold part of its share in the project in September 2009 to the Dan Bus Company for $15–20 million.[24] However, Dan Bus will need Veolia's expertise for at least five years to run the light rail successfully.

The light rail will operate at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). New regulations were passed by the government in regard to vehicle behavior vis-a-vis the light rail.[25]

Disagreements between the Jerusalem municipality and the operator have meant that work related to integrating the trains' control system with roadway traffic lights has been delayed and thus a decision was made to begin service without giving priority to trains at traffic lights. As a result, travel time for the full route will be 80 minutes instead of the planned 40, until final synchronization of the lights is completed, expected by November 2011.[26]

Controversy

During construction, the project has been criticized locally for the numerous delays, poor financial management, generating air and noise pollution, and internationally for passing through parts of East Jerusalem.[27]

Passage through East Jerusalem

The project has aroused controversy because the route passes through territories that Israel captured during the Six-Day War and annexed and incorporated into the Jerusalem Municipality such as French Hill and Pisgat Ze'ev,[28] considered illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem by some in the international community.[29] In consequence, Dutch bank ASN divested from Veolia Environnement.[30] and Swedish pension fund AP7 blacklisted Alstom. Both Veolia and Alstom were sued by the Palestinian Authority in the French courts.[31][32]

It emerged in May 2009 that the Palestinian Authority had been urging Saudi Arabia through back channels to pressure Alstom and Veolia to abandon the project in return for the multi-billion dollar Haramain Express project and the $25 billion Gulf railway project.[33] In November 2009, 170 Palestinian civil society organizations launched a campaign[34] under the banner of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) on the six Gulf Cooperation Council states to withhold lucrative contracts for the Gulf railway project from the two companies unless they comply with demands to withdraw from the Jerusalem project.

Pollution and traffic jams

The construction project has also been criticized for increasing air pollution in Jerusalem.[35] However, it was credited with reducing air pollution on Jaffa Road by 80% when the latter was converted to an LRT-only way.[36] Nir Barkat, mayor of Jerusalem, was critical of the traffic jams caused by construction and told Yair Naveh, CEO of CityPass, that "The process isn't being managed, you can't stop a city. This is intolerable".[37] In March 2009 he said he proposed to cancel the project after the first two lines are completed, and told the San Francisco Chronicle that he wants to replace the rest of the planned rail network with buses.[38]

The residents of Jerusalem filed a NIS 1.2 billion class-action lawsuit in October 2010 against CityPass for these problems, but the Jerusalem district court ruled that the company could only be sued for air and noise pollution.[39]

Financial management

The financial management of the project has also been criticized, and a report published in May 2008 by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss pointed to a 128% deviation in funds, from an estimated NIS 500 million to NIS 1.14 billion. It was also noted that the government had spent NIS 1.2 billion on the project up to 2007, which pointed to a further deviation.[40] The completion of the line is five years behind schedule, with its opening having been postponed several times, and final completion now tentatively set for August 2011, though this is now doubtful.[41] Part of delay stems from the line being the first light rail line ever constructed in Israel and thus it encountered numerous bureaucratic, construction and technical challenges. The total cost of the initial line (not including any of the planned extensions) is estimated at 3.8 billion NIS (appx. US$1.1 billion).[41][14]

Archeological findings

While tracks for the light rail were being laid 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."[42]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jerusalem Light Rail.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Jerusalem Light Rail Project". Railway Technology. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  2. ^ Gerard Heumann (22 July 2011). "Buses trump trams any day. Following countless cancellations of its scheduled opening date, the trams are now scheduled to begin taking on passengers, barring further delays, on August 19". Haaretz.
  3. ^ Wayne Stiles (2009-02-02). "The Benefits of Understanding and Experiencing the Historical Geography of Israel, Previous Research and Literature Review". bible.org. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
  4. ^ "From Mule Tracks To Light Rail Transit Tracks: Integrating Modern Infrastructure into an Ancient City—Jerusalem, Israel" (PDF). Transportation Research E-Circular. Transportation Research Board: p. 764. 2003. ISSN 0097-8515. Retrieved 2010-09-19. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Cotterell, Paul (December 1989). "A Tramway Project in Jaffa". HaRakevet (6): p. 11. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  6. ^ Hasson, Nir (June 7, 2011). "The Electric Carriage of Mandatory Jerusalem". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-06-08. Template:He icon
  7. ^ a b Daniel and Render (2003), p. 768
  8. ^ Daniel and Render (2003), p. 767
  9. ^ a b Guttman, Lior (June 15, 2010). "Track-Laying Stage in Jerusalem Light Rail Completed". Calcalist. Retrieved 2010-06-16. Template:He icon
  10. ^ "Jerusalem rail operator jumps ship, Tel Aviv group isn't even responding and sold". Haaretz. 8 June 2009.
  11. ^ Baron, Lior (13 September 2009). "Bus co Dan to buy Jerusalem light rail stake. Government officials: Dan has no experience operating trains". Globes, Israel business news.
  12. ^ "The Jerusalem Light Rail Transit (JLRT)". Veolia Transportation. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  13. ^ Bar-Eli, Avi (November 25, 2010). "Dan Suing as Veolia Rides with Egged". TheMarker. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  14. ^ a b Melanie Lidman (2011-06-30). "Capital merchants struggle with endless light rail delays". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  15. ^ "Settlers condemn and strongly oppose Jerusalem light train project". Entrepreneur.com. 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  16. ^ Tzafari, Yekutiel (January 18, 2009). "February 24: The Train is on the Tracks". Mynet. Retrieved 2009-01-19. Template:He icon
  17. ^ TheMarker. 16 August 2011 http://www.themarker.com/cars/public-transport/1.744823. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ Hasson, Nissan (September 25, 2009). "There is No Light Rail Yet, but 3,500 Trees Have Already Been Planted Along its Route". Haaretz. Retrieved 2009-09-25. Template:He icon
  19. ^ Alman, Roy (March 17, 2011). "Apparently, Trees on Light Rail's Root Will Be Uprooted". Mynet. Retrieved 2011-03-18. Template:He icon
  20. ^ Steinmetz, Moshe (November 22, 2009). "Jerusalem: Another Delay in Light Rail's Construction Finish". nrg Maariv local. Retrieved 2009-11-27. Template:He icon
  21. ^ a b c Cohen-blankshtain, Galit Dr., "Justifying public transport investments: the case of light rail in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv", School of Public Policy and Department of Geography, the Hebrew University, retrieved 2009-11-09
  22. ^ Bar-Gil, Doron (March 8, 2009). "CityPass Canceled Light Rail Works in Neve Ya'akov and Ein Kerem". nrg Maariv. Retrieved 2009-03-10. Template:He icon
  23. ^ Friedman, Ron (May 25, 2010). "Jerusalem Presents New Transport Plan". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  24. ^ Baron, Lior (September 13, 2009). "As Published in Globes: Dan will Operation Light Rail in Jerusalem". Globes. Retrieved 2009-09-16. Template:He icon
  25. ^ Hazelcorn, Shahar (October 22, 2009). "The Light Rail: Entrance to Donkeys is Prohibited". Ynet. Retrieved 2009-11-27. Template:He icon
  26. ^ Amiram Barkat (2011-07-06). "Jerusalem light rail to begin service next month". Globes. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
  27. ^ Rekacewicz, Philippe; Vidal, Dominique (February 2007). "Jerusalem's apartheid tramway". Le Monde diplomatique.
  28. ^ Kershner, Isabel (June 5, 2007). "Jerusalem Light Rail Raises Questions about the Divided City". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  29. ^ Seth Freedman (26 November 2009). "Israel's occupation, linked by rail". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-11-26.
  30. ^ Rapoport, Meron (December 6, 2006). "Dutch Bank Divests Holdings in J'lem Light Rail, Cites Settlements". Haaretz. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  31. ^ McCarthy, Rory and Chrisafis, Angelique (October 26, 2007). "PLO Disputes Jerusalem Rail Plan". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-01-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Higgins, Andrew; Gauthier-Villars, David (January 31, 2009). "In Jerusalem, Arabs and Jews Finally Agree ..." Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-11-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ Abbas Al Lawati (2009-06-29). "Palestine urges withdrawal of rail contract". Gulf News.
  34. ^ Abbas Al Lawati (2009-11-17). "Plea to boycott firms with Israel link". Gulf News.
  35. ^ Bin Nun, Gil (2008-02-26). "Jerusalem 2008 Style: Mountain Air Full of Dust". Jerusalem Mid-week edition. Yedioth Ahronoth. p. 4.
  36. ^ "Dramatic Decrease of 80% in Air Pollution on Jaffa Street". Jerusalem Municipality. January 25, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-29. Template:He icon
  37. ^ Hasson, Nir (2009-01-15). "New Jerusalem mayor slams light rail project after trudging through capital". Haaretz. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  38. ^ Kalman, Matthew (2009-03-29). "Barkat may stop J'lem light rail project". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  39. ^ Shon, Mark (May 12, 2011). "Court Removed Most of the Class-Action Lawsuit against Damages of Light Rail in Jerusalem". Calcalist. Retrieved 2011-05-13. Template:He icon
  40. ^ Hazelcorn, Shahar (May 20, 2008). "The Comptroller: Significant Deficiencies in the Light Rail Project in Jerusalem". Ynet. Retrieved 2009-11-27. Template:He icon
  41. ^ a b Hasson, Nir (2011-04-02). "Light Rail on the Way" (in Hebrew). Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
  42. ^ Kerhsner, Isabel (June 5, 2007). "Under a Divided City, Evidence of a Once United One". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
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