On January 15, the Israeli Minister of Transport and Intelligence Israel Katz made a trial trip over the first electrified section of the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem high-speed rail link.
During the trip, Minister Katz announced that he had decided to name the line by the name of King David. The head of the transport department argued his decision as follows: "We improve the transport connection with Jerusalem and reunite with the history of the capital. I consider it historically fair to name a new line in honor of King David, during whose reign Jerusalem became the capital of Israel. "
Minister Katz noted that the introduction of a new branch in operation is scheduled for the end of March, the eve of the Pesach holiday.
It should be reminded that the Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem expressway project includes two 56-kilometer-long railways in each direction. The planned time on the road one way from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is 28 minutes, not including the stop at Ben Gurion Airport, and this at a nominal speed of 160 km / h. This branch includes a branch to the city of Modiin.
The minister recalled that this would be the first electrified railway line in Israel. Katz also stressed that during the first three months since the opening of the line for the holders of the "rav-kav" card, the trip along the new route will be free of charge. Further, for several months, passengers will receive a discount of 50%.
The railway branch originates at the station "Itzhak Navon" ("Ha-Uma") in Jerusalem and ends with the station "Hagana" in Tel Aviv. The construction of the station "Itzhak Navon" is carried out at a depth of 80 meters under the ground.
Within the framework of the project, eight bridges with a total length of over seven kilometers and five tunnels with a total length of over 39 km were built. No lines were erected: the longest bridge in Israel (bridge No. 6) with a length of 1.25 km, the highest railway bridge in the country about 100 m high (bridge No. 10), and the longest tunnel, 11.6 km long (tunnel No. 3).
According to the traffic schedule, in the first year of operation of the new line, on this route (Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem), two railways are scheduled to move in an hour in each direction. Further, in a few months, this number will increase to three railroad trainings per hour. In the future this number can be increased to six.
The minister added that "a high-speed train to Jerusalem is one of Israel's most important transportation projects. The new branch will significantly improve transport links with the capital, "Katz said. The new line will serve the economic development of the capital and will provide an opportunity for thousands of workers and guests coming to Jerusalem to travel, saving travel time and avoiding congestion on the roads. It will also strengthen ties with Jerusalem, "Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said. +