Fresh row over beleaguered Tel Aviv light rail project

Transport Ministry officials are fuming at a Treasury demand to halt work on the Tel Aviv right rail, saying the project has reached the point of no return and to do so would cause major damage.

• Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter
  

The Treasury has ordered a suspension on all tenders related to the project, which has been in the works now for 20 years.

Freezing the project, says Transport Ministry Director General Uzi Yitzhaki, will have serious consequences, including the extensive waste of public money, a delay in the Israel Defense Forces' relocation project, and the worsening of the housing crisis in Tel Aviv and its suburbs.

Related stories:

• Tel Aviv light rail delays dozens of construction projects
• Foreign banks to fund Tel Aviv Light Rail
• Israel sets big rail plans, dreams of regional hub
  

"Elements at the Finance Ministry are operating contrary to government decisions and policies in an effort to delay the project," Yitzhaki says. "And in doing so, they are causing irreparable damage to the concerted efforts of the Transport Ministry and other relevant ministries to provide the Dan region with vital public transportation solutions for decades to come.

"The Transport Ministry is in the midst of putting plans together for temporary traffic arrangements, including a public transportation system, shuttle buses, park-and-ride parking lots and more with the purpose of preparing the public for the works."

Point of no return

Transport Ministry officials point out that the tenders for the light rail were approved by the Treasury's Accountant General's Division and Budget Director Amir Levy, who ordered the suspension of the tenders. Furthermore, they add, agreements and understandings have finally been reached with the relevant local authorities following years of unsuccessful efforts that delayed the project.

"We are at a point in time at which the project can't be put on hold," Yitzhaki says. Any suspension or delay will lead to a grave waste of public funds and the undermining of the principal national objectives determined by the government – and first and foremost, a solution to the housing crisis in one of the country's most high-demand regions.

"We mustn't make the same mistake that was made in the 1970s with the Ayalon Highway. The relevant authorities argued over the construction of the Ayalon Highway for more than 20 years, and it's difficult today to imagine the State of Israel without it."

Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said he was determined to push ahead with the project at full speed, noting that there would not be a delay of even a single day.

"No civil servant, as senior as he may be, will stop the project," Katz said.