Petah Tikva and Holon: The government finally approved the M2 metro line, the fourth plan among the plans for metro lines in the Gush Dan metropolis.
The only metro line that the government has not yet approved is in the section of the M1 line that is supposed to pass in the northern part of the metropolis, through the cities of Kfar Saba, Ra'anana, and Hod Hasharon. The delay is due to opposition from the residents, which was received by the planning administration. Not deciding on another alternative is expected to lead to a significant delay in the implementation of the plan and even its cancellation.
In the past there was also opposition to the M2 line, because work on the Bnei Brak station must continue and be carried out even on Shabbat – which, according to the municipality, harms the character of the city.
In the end, last September, the plan was approved in principle after the Bnei Brak municipality actually agreed to work on Shabbat within the city limits in the metro project, as long as they were carried out underground without public visibility and after they were defined as "mind control."
The decision as to which works will be defined in this way will be up to the Metropolitan Mass Transit System (NTA) company, and will also apply to the operation of the underground mining machines, the cessation of which upon completion of the work could lead to the collapse of the tunnels.
This is the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Israel, costing approximately NIS 150 billion. According to the plan, lines of the metro in Israel will connect the entire Tel Aviv metropolis, from Lod, Ramla and Rehovot in the south to Ra'anana and Kfar Saba in the north and Petah Tikva in the east. It will be an additional and main answer to easing congestion on the roads, increasing investment in public transportation and shortening travel distances to employment centers in the metropolis.
Which cities will it pass through?
The length of the line is approximately 25 km. and it is an east-west axis that will connect the center of the metropolis with its eastern part. The route begins at the Yoseftal interchange in northern Holon and passes through southern and central Tel Aviv, continuing through the cities of Givatayim, Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak, Givat Shmuel, and Petah Tikva and ending near the employment area of Petah Tikva.
The line will serve areas designated for urban renewal along with providing service to important metropolitan centers such as the Wolfson Hospital, the main business area of Tel Aviv, and Bar Ilan University.
The line will be at the interface with other public transportation system lines: Metro-HaShalom (1M) and Kfar Ganim (3M); stations of the Israel-HaShalom train, Segulah Petah Tikva; Light rail line stations: the Red Line – the Hasmoneans; the green line – Hamima Square; and the Purple Line – Allenby, Bar Ilan and Kfar Ganim.
"There is no future for Gush Dan without the metro."
Rabbi Natan Alnatan, chairman of the National Planning Headquarters and of the National Council for Planning and Construction, said: "I welcome the approval of the M2 metro line. The metro project is an essential project for the State of Israel in general and the Gush Dan in particular and will significantly shorten the traffic jams."
Planning Administration Director-General Rafi Elmaliah said: "This is a historic day. The Planning Administration has made the promotion of the metro project a priority and we have approved four plans in a record time of only two years. There is no future for Gush Dan without the metro."
NTA CEO Haim Glick said his company is: "proud of the government's decision to approve the M2 metro line and sees the decision as an expression of confidence in NTA's professionalism and its unique professional experience in mass transportation above and below ground. These days, the international management companies chosen to promote the major infrastructure project in Israel have started their work."