Jerusalem light rail resumes full service ahead of schedule

The Jerusalem light rail Red Line resumed full service yesterday after the nine stations in the central section halted operations in May, so that the Red Line could be connected to the Green Line, which begins operations next year.

The hiatus caused huge public criticism over the lengthy inconvenience but in fact the light rail is resuming operations three weeks ahead of schedule. In May the Ministry of Finance accountant general’s office signed an agreement with the operator of the Jerusalem light rail project, allowing for disruptions to the service until Rosh Hashanah on September 21. Under the terms of the agreement any advance on that date would entitle the operator Kfir (a subsidiary of Shapir Engineering and Spanish company CAF), to a bonus of up to NIS 5 million. Having completed works three weeks ahead of schedule and reopened the Red Line means that Kfir will receive the full amount.

It is unusual for the state to have to pay a bonus to contractors for completing transport projects ahead of schedule. Work on the project continued even during the war with Iran, when hundreds of workers carried on working on the lines despite the barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel. The move stemmed from Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon pushing for the swift completion of the work to minimize inconvenience to the public and through the efforts of all parties in the government and the private sector this was achieved.

Transport projects in the capital have not always been such a success. The Red Line extension to Hadassah and Neve Yaakov was only opened earlier this year after several major delays and the Green Line between Gilo and Mount Scopus had been scheduled to open well before next year. The Blue Line between Ramot and Gilo has also been subject to huge delays, and the Ministry of Finance has accused the police, among others, of delaying the work until an agreement was signed to compensate the police.

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on September 1, 2025.

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