Israel's Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz has pledged that work on the Tel Aviv light rail, which began yesterday with major transport disruptions in the city, will proceed smoothly. At a ceremony to launch the work, which involves major road and bus route changes, he said, "I'm convinced that the work will be conducted exactly as planned. There will be hardships but as in other projects I have begun such as the fast train (from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem) and Timna Airport (near Eilat), I trust the staff involved."
Katz added, "I've never previously seen or been involved in more thorough and major preparations as that supporting this project and we have here full coordination between us and the authorities. I'm certain that this project will be carried out as planned and ultimately Tel Aviv will have a leading-edge transportation system like it should be."
Katz said, "My job is to get the project going. They said there would never be a light rail and many was being thrown into the garbage. The budget estimates are right, the timetable is right and I am making every effort to ensure that the project proceeds smoothly."
He continued, 'The decision to strengthen enforcement, mainly by transferring authority to the municipalities, was a very important decision that will allow use of public transport. As personal examples, myself and fellow ministers will not be able to travel in bus lanes. The police are completely ready to act. After all they know how to mobilize 1,000 police for riots in Jerusalem and we've worked exceptionally hard with the Ministry of Finance to achieve 168 new regulations. I've solved the problem at its root by transferring powers to city inspectors and enforcement using a network of cameras. I trust the municipalities to implement this properly."
Katz also spoke about the Tel Aviv light rail's first line - the Red Line, which is being built around the Allenby station on Allenby Road. "This line is very important because everything will connect to this station. The assumption is that all the other lines will be completely underground and we'll find a way to do them all. We are determined to change the public transport reality, and I'm raising the flag and take responsibility for starting this project, and continuing for six years."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 3, 2015
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