Good news for millions of Israelis: Railway section opens for the first time in 15 years

The transport revolution in the capital is stepping up: the Jerusalem Light Rail has officially announced that this coming Friday (21.8), the new L3 line will be officially launched, connecting the HaTurim station on Jaffa Street to the Malha station. The new section spans 7 kilometers and includes 13 stations — 12 modern stations alongside the HaTurim station, which serves as a transfer station for the existing L1 line.

The opening, which comes about 15 years after the launch of the first line, marks the first milestone in the "Green Route project" and promises a significant upgrade in comfort, speed, and quality of life for travel in the city. The new line will provide residents and visitors with green and continuous access to leading employment, education, and leisure centers such as Teddy Stadium, Pais Arena, the Tennis Center, Malha Mall, the Botanical Gardens, Binyanei HaUma and the city center, the government district, the high-tech complex in the Hebrew University park, and the Technology Park.

The academic world will also be automatically connected: Givat Ram campus, Azrieli College of Engineering, the Open University, the Academy of Music and Dance, Machon Lev, Machon Tal, Gymnasia Rehavia (Leyada), ORT College, Kramim, and ORT Pelech.

The new line was built to interface easily with other modes of transport in the city. Along the route, two central transfer stations to the L1 line will operate (at the HaTurim station and at the Central Station/Binyanei HaUma), which will allow for quick transfers between lines, bus lines, and Israel Railways at the Yitzhak Navon station.

In the future, for those coming from outside the city via Highway 16, a dedicated "Park and Ride" parking lot will open at the Beit interchange, which will allow leaving the private car at the entrance and continuing directly to the light rail network.

The opening of the current section is a significant breakthrough that comes after years of anticipation and complex delays. The new section constitutes the first 7 kilometers of the complete "Green Line," which will eventually span 20 kilometers from end to end with an estimated investment of about 14 billion shekels.

Further down the road, the opening of the northern section of the route is planned, which will reach Mount Scopus and connect additional parts of the city, alongside the L4 line that will serve the residents of Gilo. At the same time, work on the "Blue Line" — the third and longest line in the system (31 km long with 53 stations) — is already in full swing.