Preserve the tranquil beauty and life of the Negev on the one hand with the clear need for room to expand There is no reason why both cannot be acheived harmoniously side by side

brain-dead "Green" crowd. They protest, it seems, because that's their only reason to live. It is always a rare mouse or worm that's endangered by any and every manifestation of progress. It's a knee-jerk reaction. Just remember: Mother Nature, without human help, has managed to bring to extinction 90% of all living creatures in earth's history. Cool it, go back to hanging Che-posters on your ceilings and let the country get ahead, thank you.

the only animals too stupid to not be adapt to the presence of a railroad track, and the lonesome whistle of a long-distance train a few times a day .... are the two-legged ones.

That the route chyosen was one of three options, each having a separate ecological impact report. According to an article in the Jerusalem Post, the committee chose the route with the least ecological impact' yet the "greenies" still aren't satisfied. Apparently, they demand a combination of routes, avoiding ALL ecological distrubanbce, while more than doubling the price of the project and multiplying the difficulties. According to the article I read, the "Green Proposal" route would require many kilometers of tunnels and elevated track, driving the cost of the line through the roof into the sky with no real benefit to anyone for it. I'm afraid the greenies will have to learn to compromise on this one, whether they like it or not...

let's just hope that they can work out a good route quickly and that the government will put in a penalty clause so that every week/month the railway builders run over schedule they will be penalized.. otherwise..who knows how long it will take.. they could have a bonus for each month they finish ahead of schedule too... that's what they should've done in Jerusalem with the light rail...

I agree with Tim, #1: There is no reason why an ecologically sound engineering plan can't be utilized to install these tracks. The trains could run on electricity in lieu of diesel...less environemental impact. What a pleasure it would be to take a train to Eilat! It would greatly reduce the travel time from the middle of the country to the South!

For laying railroad tracks? With this deadline, one would think they are building a new Olympic sports complex.

my dream is to board the train in Tlv take my reserved seat in one of the several Pullman dining cars (there are many restaurants in TLV that would be happy to operate such a service) and have a great meal whilst enjoying the scenery, as i said a dream, if it does come about which i doubt, the cost of the mashgiach will make it unprofitable, Of course if the coach was privately owned and only attached to the train then, well anything is possible!

why will the train be ready only in 2019? that's rediculous! the Chinese can build it in year and half tops!

The environmental impact of the train is lower than the road or the plane. The ministry is currently reviewing bids to execute the plan .. several Chinese in the running. WTF are they crazy?

....but how foolish to do so. You know why Roman viaducts are still standing? Because they built them slowly and carefully. The chinese are smarter than you. If you pay them bupkiss to get a cheap railtrack, you wil get.... a cheap railtrack. This railroad belongs to the Hebrew ethnic people for the next 500 years!

but only them, many countries would prefer a safe transport via this railway and not through the Suez Channel. Maybe not Iran. The Greens should have ONE option, tell how to do it better and why. Then they know what to put their energy on.

Whilst some Trans Israel Rail Freight might be circumventing the Suez...the real benefits to customers is when Israel also offers added value Freight Services with Beersheba as the centre Goods coming into Israel from say Eilat for example can be transferred by Rail to Beersheeba for onward distribution by Air, or via Beersheba to Ashdod for onward distribution by Sea via the Med Mmm except no movement yet on the start of the BIA Beersheba International Airport...?

As a former resident of the Arava, I have always been in favour of this idea, if done with as much care for the environment as possible. Need to take conservation and environment into consideration, as much as possible. Be great boost to the area.