The Red Line will not begin operating until March 2023 and some sources saythat commercial operations might not begin until next June.The company appointed by the Ministry of Transport to supervise the project estimates that the Red Line will not begin operating until June 2023. The postponement is costing an estimated NIS 40 million per month. The state chose a complex signaling system for the Tel Aviv light rail with an automatic system on the underground sections and a manual system above ground and coordinating the two types of system is proving difficult. NTA - Metropolitan Mass Transit System, which is overseeing the project, has been encouraged by the decline in the number of emergency stops during trials and at the start of next month a new updated version of the signaling system will begin operating. If the system proves that it can work stably then an official commencement date for commercial operations of the Tel Aviv light rail Red Line will be announced. If the system works well then NTA is likely to announce the end of March 2023 as the date for starting operations but the company supervising the which feels unable to control events amid all the delays is not convinced that NTA's forecast date of late March 2023 is viable. A senior source at the Ministry of Transport said, "There is a fault with the signaling system that has brought about a delay in operating the line. It is the job of the steering committee to ensure that the revised timetable for operating the line is implemented and no clear picture has yet been received from NTA."
The Ministry of Transport said, "NTA is managing the Red line and is responsible for building and operating it. Representatives of the state on the steering committee, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Finance are supporting the company and assisting in every way to complete the project, without compromising on matters of safety and operating the service." NTA said, "NTA is not engaged in this or that estimate and does not know about the date mentioned but is investing all its resources in working around the clock in order to operate the light rail without compromising on full | ) | |||
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Security
The Red Line through and under Tel Aviv will probably start working for public passenger traffic in May or June 2023.
While this line was been planned and then as the construction was in progress - changes and additions were made to cope with the chronic 'terrorism' problem that infects Israel.
Although the MOT will not list all the changes and additions that they demanded, we know of 7 issues that were included into the system and certainly on the Light-Rail trains {Trams}.
All concrete walls in every underground station have extra thickness to survive any serious blast and thus prevent any collapse.
Communication and power cables/ wiring are mostly behind protected metal plates or in serious metal cabinets.
In the tunnels - the driver is in-charge but he is watched by both internal and external cameras, and the central OCC [that is duplicated] can also run or stop the tram if the driver is incapacitated.
On the trams the windows are extra-thick impact glass, and the delicate 'traction' equipment on the roof is covered [metal] against a grenade or an RPG. This adds extra weight to the trams. [ now 50 tonnes.]
CCTV and Wi-Fi have extra cover and sensor-security for damage or explosions.
The main OCC is located underground and behind blast-proof concrete walls. A second OCC exists and is ready to go, - if necessary.
Management offices, the light Maintenace and the heavy Maintenace facilities are all in separate buildings and a lot of redundancy has been built-in to cope with any major 'war'-damage.
Some underground stations [ like the Navon station in Jerusalem ] have a bomb shelter underneath with special equipment for gas or radiation attacks and special ventilation units to keep a few hundred citizens healthy while 'a war' maybe running above.
The Data Center - has a separate building, well-protected and with both ( duplicate ) optical fiber and electrical connection to all relevant stations, management and the IDF HOME DEFENCE system.
Back-up generators are doubled and in separate locations and well protected - mostly underground.
At the main OCC - each desk [there are 10] covers a different component of the transport system and each desk has two operators. The OCC duty-officer has a separate room with his own communication system.
All Maintenace - either routine, light or heavy is down at special depots [ the are two at this time - there will be more ,] and all parts are supervised for quality, source and all work is supervised by automatic cameras and trained security staff.
All staff have been through the First-aid, security and psychology training courses and have been vetted for 'problems'.
They MOT, IR, the Light-rail authority and the various municipalities all have the deep understanding that this new transport system must work-well, be safe, be comfortable, be flexible to cope with weather, floods, wars and the terrorism mayhem that is almost normal, and keep the citizens happy as the primary users.
Steve Sattler
