Tel Aviv light rail still underused

Just over two years ago in August 2023, the Tel Aviv light rail Red Line began to operate, after almost a decade of construction, endless delays, and an investment of NIS 19 billion.

Since then the mass transit system, part of which is underground, has proven to be a success story, and overall travel speeds have improved dramatically. However, the road to a complete transport revolution is still long: accessibility to stations is limited, passenger numbers are well below forecasts, and delays in completing subsequent lines leave much of the system’s potential on paper.

Passengers: Not getting on the train

The first line of the light rail consists of two operational routes – R1 from Bat Yam to the central station in Petah Tikva (via Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak); and line R3, which runs underground from Elifelet Station in Tel Aviv to Kiryat Aryeh in Petah Tikva, both of which operate in both directions.

In contrast, the R2 service line, which was supposed to connect Bat Yam to Petah Tikva, is only partially operated – contrary to promises of frequent operation of the three lines. Tevel, part of the Egged Group, which operates the light rail boasts that 99% of the number of journeys planned have been made – an impressive figure but lower than Egged’s achievement on its bus lines (in some financial quarters, only 0.5% non-performance).

This is 2.46 million kilometers of travel out of 2.49 million planned – an increase of about 0.5% in the level of availability compared with the first year. The level of punctuality over the last year was 97%.

NTA and Tevel note that the number of passengers jumped from 1.7 million in the first month of operation to 2.7 million last July – a jump of 38%. However, according to sources familiar with the details, this is manipulation, because the daily average is still fluctuating around 110-120,000 passengers per day, far from the original forecasts of 238,000. On the NTA website, the number has already been updated to 200,000.

A success story with a caveat: Journey times

The really good news is the reduction in travel times. An end-to-end trip on the R1 line, which took 90 minutes when the train opened, has now been reduced to just 65 minutes. On the R3 line, the times have been shortened from 30 minutes to 23 minutes.

The reason lies in the route: unlike most light rail systems in the world that run above ground, the Red Line combines an above ground ride in Bat Yam and Jaffa, entering tunnels in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak, and partially exiting above ground again in Petah Tikva.

The speed in the underground section is much faster, and thus a gap has been created: while the ride in Bat Yam is slow and tedious even two years after the line opened, a passenger can get from the Railway Park in Tel Aviv to Kiryat Aryeh in Petah Tikva in 23 minutes.

Accessibility to stations: A significant hurdle

A significant hurdle that still faces the success of the train is the difficulty of getting to the stations. Thus, while Tel Aviv prepared for the opening of the line with a network of bicycle paths and public transport routes that feed the stations, other authorities have not provided similar solutions.

The Ministry of Transport, for its part, has not kept its promises to operate a complementary bus network. A survey conducted by the organization 15 Minutes based on ministry data from last December found that only 10% of passengers transfer from a bus or Israel Railways to the Red Line, even though an average of 15 minutes pass between paying on the bus and paying on the train – a figure that indicates unfulfilled potential.

A positive exception is found in Ganei Tikva, where a dedicated bus line was inaugurated to the light rail station, and its use is notable compared with the entire city. The organization points to the need to upgrade the feeder lines, mainly in Holon and southeast Tel Aviv, and also in more distant areas from which it is possible to reach Kiryat Aryeh in only about 20 minutes.

Delays on the other lines

Estimates are that the number of passengers will increase significantly with the opening of the other lines, which are being repeatedly delayed. The most advanced of the two lines is the Purple Line, entirely above ground, from Yehud-Monoson to central Tel Aviv. The tracks are being laid and systems installed, but its opening date was postponed first to 2027 and now to 2028. The Green Line from Rishon Lezion to Herzliya is being delayed even further. The current NTA management has chosen to split its operation. The southern section, from Rishon Lezion to southern Tel Aviv will open in 2028 (instead of 2027 as planned). The northern section, which has underground stations in central Tel Aviv to Herzliya, will not open before 2030.

When the Purple and Green Lines are completed, a dramatic leap in mobility in the metropolis is expected – a real game changer.

And yet, given the rapid growth in population and the chronic shortage of transport infrastructure, even this will not be enough. The metropolitan region desperately needs an underground train system – the Metro.

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on September 10, 2025.

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.