Outline of the Tel Aviv Metro

Tel Aviv Metro (also MetroTLV) is a planned subway system for the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. It will augment the Tel Aviv Light Rail and Israel Railways suburban lines and consist of three underground metro lines to form a rapid transit transportation solution for the city.

Construction is expected to start in 2025, with the first public opening in 2032.[1] The legal foundation for building the metro is found in National Outline Plan 70.

History

The plan for the metro was raised in 2015 by the Israeli ministry of finance, bypassing the transportation ministry. The ministry's rationale was that the light rail plan would not be sufficient to answer Tel Aviv's transportation needs as early as the 2020s, when the first lines would be completed. Multiple alternatives were proposed in internal discussions. At the time, the plan was met with surprise by the transportation ministry.[2]

By early 2016, the two ministries agreed on a general outline that would include three of the seven planned light rail lines, in addition to three new metro lines.[3] In September 2016, the government-owned company NTA (Hebrew acronym for Urban Transportation Lines) released a feasibility study tender for the metro lines. The final cost of all lines is estimated at NIS 130–150 billion (USD 40–46 billion).[4][5]

In July 2018, NTA published a tender for the planning of the three subway lines.[5] In July 2018, McKinsey submitted a report on the financial aspects of the project to the Israeli government.[6] The architects chosen to head the planning teams are Dana Kehat from Mansfeld–Kehat for M1, Eliezer Armon for M2 and Edna Lerman for M3.[7]

On 15 April 2019, the National Infrastructures Committee approved the route of all three metro lines.[8]

In December 2022, trial excavation to assess the ground conditions to be encountered during the construction of the metro began.[9]

On 29 August 2023, Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev signed an order allowing land acquisition to build the metro system to begin.[10]

Plan

Construction is slated to start around 2024–2026.[4]

Line Length Route
M1 85 km (53 mi) Ra'anana – Herzliya – Ramat HaSharon – Northern Tel Aviv – Tel Aviv University – Bavli – Ayalon Highway (Tel Aviv) – Yigal Allon Street – Kiryat Shalom – Central Holon – Central Rishon LeZion – Ness Ziona – Rehovot – Bilu Junction
Kfar Sava – Hod HaSharon – IWI Ramat HaSharon – Kiryat Atidim and Ramat HaHayal – Tel Aviv University – Bavli – Ayalon Highway (Tel Aviv) – Yigal Allon Street – Kiryat Shalom – Central Holon – Rishon LeZion Old Industrial Zone – Tzrifin – Be'er Ya'akov – Ramla – Lod
M2 26 km (16 mi) Wolfson Medical Center – Central Tel Aviv – HaKirya – Nahalat Yitzhak – Giv'atayim – South Bnei Brak – Bar Ilan University – Giv'at Shmu'el – Petah Tikva
M3 39 km (24 mi) Southern Bat Yam – Southern Holon – Holon Industrial Zone – Azor – Or Yehuda – Sheba Medical Center – Kiryat Ono – Ramat Siv and Kiryat Aryeh – Northeast Tel Aviv – Glilot – Herzliya Pitu'ah
Sources:[4][5][11]

Costs

The projected cost of the scheme is ILS 150 billion, of which ILS 82 billion would go to the two lines labeled M1, including value added tax.[12]

Within M1, the cost of moving infrastructure would cost ILS 2.5 billion. The 55 stations would cost ILS 19 billion, or approximately US $100 million per station. Tunneling would cost ILS 13 billion, systems would cost ILS 5 billion, and rolling stock – ILS 2.5 billion.[12]

References

  1. ^ Zagrizak, Asaf (July 13, 2021). "מרימים לתחתית: פרויקט המטרו של גוש דן: תמונת מצב" [Setting up for the underground: Gush Dan metro project: situation report]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  2. ^ Posek, Hillel (October 1, 2015). "Exclusive: Ministry of Finance Plan to Cancel Light Rail". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  3. ^ Petersburg, Ofer (February 22, 2016). "Plan: Building Three Metro Lines in the Center". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Dori, Oren (September 5, 2016). "Not Only Light Rail: Metro Network in Country Center for NIS 140 Billion". TheMarker (in Hebrew). Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Gorodeisky, Sonia (July 19, 2018). "Tender published for planning Tel Aviv subway lines". Globes. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  6. ^ Barkat, Amiram; Gorodeisky, Sonia (November 12, 2018). "McKinsey: State can't afford Tel Aviv metro". Globes. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  7. ^ Nardi, Guy (November 23, 2020). "Tel Aviv Metro has already cost NIS 500m". Globes. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Robenstein, Roei (April 15, 2019). "The Gush Dan Metro, another step towards work initialization". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  9. ^ Trial excavation underway for Tel Aviv Metro tunnels
  10. ^ Land acquisition begins for Tel Aviv Metro
  11. ^ קווי מטרו במטרופולין תל אביב [Metro Lines in Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area] (PDF) (Map) (in Hebrew). NTA. 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Barkat, Amiram (November 2, 2020). "Is the Tel Aviv Metro worth it?". Globes. Retrieved November 5, 2020.

External links

Urban public transport networks and systems in Israel
Transport in Israel
Rapid transit in Asia
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