Concern over new rail-track in Haifa - Monday 14th March 2011 News

Israel Railway is planning to convert 420km of track to electric power to replace fuel based trains.  However, the City of Haifa and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel is trying to stop this from being implemented in south Haifa according to the Jerusalem Post.

The concern is that in this area between the city and the Mediterranean Sea, electricity poles will be places along a 7km route only 20 meters apart in a sensitive ecological area.

Haifa Municipality are suggesting that tracks are built into a tunnel along the 7km route in southern Haifa

Jerusalem's Begin Highway to be extended, Proposed Northern Israel Rail Line and Aviation Legislation passes another stage in the Knesset

Jerusalem's Begin Highway to be extended to Gilo


The Begin Highway, one of Jerusalem's main traffic arterial roads is to be extended from the Golomb Street, via Malha Train Station to Gilo.  The Jerusalem Municipality is publishing tenders to find companies to carry out the work to extend the highway.

The project will be overseen by Moriah Jerusalem Development Company who have published the tender documents on their website.  The Jerusalem Municipality are also planning to widen the Begin Highway between Golomb Street and Kiryat Moshe, so that the entire road from Road 443 in northern Jerusalem to Malha in souther Jerusalem will have three lanes in both directions.

Proposed Northern Israel Rail Line

Israel's Transport Ministry has started the tender process for a new railway line along the route of the old Hejaz railway between Haifa and Jordan built during the Turkish Empire.  The Transport Ministry have published the tender for the first section of the line between Haifa and Afula, and it is expected the line will extend to Beit Shean.

The plan is for the proposed railway (pictured above) to start operating by 2016.

Aviation Legislation

A piece of Government legislation to improve aviation safety in Israel passed another stage in the Knesset this week, when it was approved by the Economics Committee.  The legislation being brought by the Transport Minister, Israel Katz, can now go for a 2nd and 3rd reading.  The new law the first of it's kind in the State of Israel is being introduced following criticism by the International Air Transport Association in January and the downgrading by the US Aviation Administration.

Petrol Prices fall, Toll Road Extended and Road Safety - News Monday 14th February 2011

Gasoline Prices Lowered Today


As reported on Friday following public pressure the Government removed the VAT increase on petrol today, which they had introduced on 1 January 2011.  The price of 95 gasoline has therefore been cut by 0.23 shekels to 7.03 shekels.




Highway 6 Toll Road to be Extended

Israel's Highway 6 Toll Road, according to Globes, will be extended southwards from Lahavim to Shoket (near Bersheva) Globes has reported today.  Highway 6 will also be extended northwars from Yokneam to Somekh (north east of Haifa).  The Transport Minister Israel Katz said that this extension is part of a "national network of highways and railways from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat."


Road Safety Campaigner

Israel21c has written about the road safety group in Israel People in Red.

Speeding Driver Caught on Facebook - News Monday 7th February

A driver was stripped of his driving licence in Israel - Haaretz has reported - after the Acre Traffic Court was shown evidence from Facebook filmed by his friends from Ocotober 2010 of the driver driving a BMW at 260km/hr on the coastal highway toward Haifa