Tel Aviv railway construction moves forward
Despite political drama touched off by Shabbat construction, in a massive engineering feat, Israel Railways managed to raise a 560 ton structure on Saturday alone. Construction is meant to improve travel experience of customers and make way for a future electric rail line connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The new structures increased the terminal area and will allow for easier movement of passengers to and from the station.
An estimated 55,000 passengers transition through Hashalom station everyday, and the construction was undertaken in an effort to compensate for the expected increase in passengers in the coming years. The goal of the construction was to improve the overall travel experiences for customers and to add an entrance and exit for passengers to go straight to the Shalom Bridge.
The project is but one of several infrastructure upgrades being conducted by Israel Railways in the Tel Aviv area due to the impending arrival of the Israel's first electric railway line—the express line connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Extensive infrastructure work will occur in the Tel Aviv and Herzliya areas over the next two years to create the most advanced signaling system in the world.
The construction on Shabbat was conducted in coordination with government ministries, the Israel police and the Tel Aviv municipality. Closures in the area are expected to be lifted Saturday night for traffic to resume at 20:30.
Police blocked access to the Ayalon Highway from the Keren Kayemet Interchange (KKL), Rokach, and Arlozorov. The closures were meant to avoid heavy traffic near the work site of the new terminal.
As of Saturday evening, all closures on the Ayalon Highway have been reopened.
