Jerusalem inches closer to getting a cable car to the Old City
The ministry touts that the cable car is a solution, not just for tourists, but for tens of thousands of those who observe Jewish, Christian and Muslim holidays.
By SARAH LEVIFirst Station(photo credit: Courtesy)
To mark the 51st annual Jerusalem Day, the cabinet approved a proposal to invest NIS 200 million to construct a cable car to Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday.The plan carried out by the Tourism Ministry was announced at last year’s 50th Jerusalem Day where the government approved the first phase of the project with a starting budget of NIS 15m.The cable car’s 1,400 meter route is planned to run from the First Station in the German Colony to the Dung Gate of the Old City with two stations in between: Mount Zion and the Kedem visitors’ center in the City of David.According to the ministry, the route will pass through publicly owned land.The ministry touts that the cable car is a solution, not just for tourists, but for tens of thousands of those who observe Jewish, Christian and Muslim holidays.“Visitors to the Old City can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people,” said the Tourism Ministry in a statement.In honor of the approval and of Jerusalem Day, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said: “The cable car project will change the face of Jerusalem, offering tourists and visitors easy and comfortable access to the Western Wall.”“There is no better time than Jerusalem Day to approve this decision and I welcome the next phase en route to constructing this important project,” he said.