Works on the tracks
צילום: רכבת ישראל
It's official: Haifa–Tel Aviv trains won't run till Sunday night
Israel Railways has announced that the last-minute order to cease all work over Shabbat will cause serious train-service interruptions until the tracks can be reassembled; soldiers returning to base on Sunday will have to seek alternative methods of transportation.
Israel Railways officially announced on Saturday afternoon the effects on train service of the order received on Friday night to stop all infrastructure-improvement programs. Train service on Saturday night and Sunday during the day is to be affected.
Minutes before Shabbat began, Israel Railways was ordered to stop all infrastructure projects, which, they announced at the time, was likely to cause transportation frustration on Saturday night and Sunday.
The works ceased between Herzliya and Tel Aviv (Photo: Israel Railways) (צילום: רכבת ישראל)
The release went on to explain that this late notice meant that technical teams were already at work sites and had disassembled parts of the train tracks north of Tel Aviv in preparation for their strengthening over the weekend. To comply with the order, they were obligated to leave the tracks in that state and wouldn't be able to return to reassemble them until after Shabbat ends on Saturday night.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu & Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz on a train (Photo: Haim Zach) (צילום: חיים צח)
Israel Railways announced on Saturday the extent to which the train service would be affected. The Haifa–Tel Aviv line is to be closed in both directions entirely. Trains travelling south will terminate at Haifa-Hof HaKarmel. The company apologized for the inconvenience and advised the public to contact customer service at *5770 or via their Facebook page from half an hour after Shabbat's end.
Soldiers will be affected by the interruption.
This inconvenience was caused when, last week, a political furor broke out over planned infrastructure-improvement construction that was slated to take place during Shabbat, when the trains do not run. The ultra-Orthodox factions in the government objected and threatened to withdraw from the coalition, which would bring down the government, and the prime minister proposed a compromise: Of the 20 projects that Israel Railways had requested to undertake on the Jewish Sabbath, 17 would be cancelled.
Works on the railway
Earlier this Friday, Haredi politicians again sought to sway governmental policy. They insisted that all 20 projects be cancelled. The current coalition controls 67 of the Knesset's 120 seats. Haredi parties Shas and United Torah Judaism hold 13 seats, so their retreat from the coalition would indeed cause a governmental crisis and likely downfall.
IDF soldiers will be disproportionately affected by such an inconvenience. Many of the country's soldiers are released from their military bases over the Israeli weekend on Friday to return to their homes and are required to return on Sunday morning. Most soldiers travel via public transit, including on trains.
