Israel's 'Judgment Day' shelters

Jerusalem railway station, Haifa's Carmel Tunnels and Habima parking lot in Tel Aviv among places slated to protect thousands from chemical or biological attack

Ofer Petersburg |Published: 08.18.10 , 13:09

The new railway station being built at the entrance to Jerusalem will turn in times of emergency into an underground bomb shelter which would be able to protest 5,000 people against a chemical or biological attack.

"The State of Israel is preparing to build additional large underground spaces which would be able to absorb tens of thousands of people and protect them from non-conventional weapons for a long period of time," Major-General Ronny Seri, head of the Home Front Command's fortification department told Yedioth Ahronoth on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces is currently engaged in mapping additional underground spaces for the installment of filters in order to protest thousands of people for long periods of time.

Simulation of new Jerusalem railway station (Photo: Transportation Ministry)

The Home Front Command's flagship project will undoubtedly be the railway station in Jerusalem which will serve the fast train from Tel Aviv to the capital. The station's lower level will be 80 meters deep (262 feet) and will be able to absorb 5,000 people in times of emergency.

The place will be protected through a branched filter system and will include doctors' corners and a special room for the shelter commander. The room will also have systems for communication with the outside world.

Construction sped up

An elevator and escalator system will lead the people quickly from the station's top floors to the bottom platform. The station's construction was sped up recently at the request of Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz. The top platform has already been completed, while the shafts and underground tunnels are in different building stages.

The Home Front Command is still searching for additional places which could be used as shelters against non-conventional weapons. In Tel Aviv, for example, the shelter of the renovated Habima Theater is slated to absorb thousands of people in times of emergency.

The 10 planned light rail stations in Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv will also include huge underground halls which will be able to take in tens of thousands of people.

The contractors of an underground parking lot being built in Holon have received instructions from the Home Front Command recently on how to prepare it for a shelter against a non-conventional attack in times of emergency. Haifa's Carmel Tunnels are expected to be used for this purpose as well.