Red Line (Jerusalem Light Rail)


The red line is the first section in operation of the tram system in Jerusalem, known as the Jerusalem Light Rail. It became fully operational on December 1, 2011. The line is long with 23 stops. Extensions to the red line are currently under construction to the northern suburb of Neve Yaakov and to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital to the southwest. When completed in 2026, these will extend the line's length to 22.5 km.
With a total estimated cost for the initial section of the line of 3.8 billion NIS, the project was criticized for budget overruns, for its route serving Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem and for contributing to air and noise pollution during construction.

Stations

StationStreetLocationNeighborhood
Mount Herzl
הר הרצל		Herzl BoulevardCorner of HaPisga StreetBayit VeGan
Yefeh Nof
יפה נוף		Herzl BoulevardCorner of Shmuel Bait StreetBeit HaKerem
Denia Square
כיכר דניה		Herzl BoulevardCorner of HaArazim Street at Denia SquareBeit HaKerem
He-'Haluts
החלוץ		Herzl BoulevardCorner of HeHaluts StreetBeit HaKerem
Kiryat Moshe
קריית משה		Herzl BoulevardCorner of HaRav Zvi Yehuda StreetKiryat Moshe
Central Station
התחנה המרכזית		Jaffa RoadAcross from Central Bus StationRomema
Ha-Turim
הטורים		Jaffa RoadNear Nordau StreetMahane Yehuda
Mahane Yehuda
מחנה יהודה		Jaffa RoadNear Mahane Yehuda MarketMahane Yehuda
Ha-Davidka
ה"דביד'קה"		Jaffa RoadCorner of Street of the Prophets at Davidka SquareCity Center
Jaffa – Center
יפו – מרכז		Jaffa RoadCorner of King George and Straus StreetsCity Center
City Hall
העיריה		Jaffa RoadNear Safra SquareCity Center
Damascus Gate
שער שכם		Heil HaHandassa StreetCorner of Sultan Suleiman StreetCity Center
Shivtei Israel
שבטי ישראל		Heil HaHandassa StreetCorner of Shivtei Israel StreetBeit Yisrael
Shim'on Ha-Tsadik
שמעון הצדיק		Haim Bar Lev BoulevardCorner of Shimon HaTsadik StreetSheikh Jarrah
Ammunition Hill
גבעת התחמושת		Haim Bar Lev BoulevardCorner of Levi Eshkol BoulevardFrench Hill
Giv'at Ha-Mivtar
גבעת המיבתר		Shuafat RoadCorner of Sheshet HaYamim StreetGivat HaMivtar
Es-Sahl
א-סהל		Shuafat RoadCorner of Umm Al-Amed StreetShuafat
Shu'afat
שועפאט		Shuafat RoadCorner of Ben Rabah StreetShuafat
Beit 'Hanina
בית חנינא		Yekutiel Adam StreetCorner of Beit Hanina StreetBeit Hanina
Yekuti'el Adam
יקותיאל אדם		Yekutiel Adam StreetCorner of Moshe Dayan BoulevardPisgat Ze'ev
Pisgat Ze'ev Center
פסגת זאב מרכז		Moshe Dayan BoulevardNear Hapisga MallPisgat Ze'ev
Sayeret Dukhifat
סיירת דוכיפת		Moshe Dayan BoulevardCorner of Sayeret Dukhifat StreetPisgat Ze'ev
'Heil Ha-Avir
חיל האויר		Moshe Dayan BoulevardCorner of Heil HaAvir StreetPisgat Ze'ev

Future

Initial extensions to the Red Line were planned to the neighborhoods of Neve Yaakov in Northeast Jerusalem and Ein Karem in the Southwest. Former mayor Uri Lupolianski stated that they would be completed at the same time as the rest of the line. In 2008, French company Egis Rail won an 11.9 million Euro contract to carry out some of the design work. However, in March 2009, CityPass turned down implementing the project. In May 2010 the Jerusalem Municipality announced that the extensions would be built by the state authorities rather than a private company. The extension to Hadassah Hospital from Mount Herzl is particularly challenging and will involve a complex path with complicated bridging works. As of summer 2012, while works on the extension have not begun, the line's final terminal station, next to Hadassah's new inpatient building is nevertheless being built during the construction of the inpatient building – in order not to disrupt hospital operations later after the new building will be completed. Also planned are branches to the Red Line that would create a "campus line" connecting the Mount Scopus and Givat Ram campuses of the Hebrew University.