Israel To Link North, South With $27 Billion Rail Project

Israel unveiled a $27 billion rail project on Sunday, aimed at connecting its northernmost city Kiryat Shmona with the Red Sea resort city of Eilat in the south, as well as metropolitan Tel Aviv. The announcement was made by the Transportation Ministry, which revealed plans to expand the country’s railway infrastructure by 300 km, with fast trains reaching speeds of up to 250 km/h. The network is expected to be fully operational by 2035.

At a recent cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his vision for the project, stating that any Israeli citizen would be able to travel to and from the country’s center in less than two hours. He also hinted at the network’s potential for freight transportation from Eilat to Mediterranean Sea ports, and the potential to connect Israel by rail to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula.

This ambitious plan was initially approved by the government in 2010, but progress has been slow until now.