JPOST
Israel must find a Shabbat compromise on public transport
Editorial Board
August 13, 2023

…Last week, the Transportation Ministry made yet another decision that has a clear political logic but makes little sense for Israelis’ transportation needs. The Tel Aviv light rail will not operate on Shabbat and holidays, Regev’s ministry announced. Current coalition partners United Torah Judaism and Shas have made their strong opposition to public transportation on Shabbat clear over decades. When serving as transportation minister, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich canceled bus lines that ran on Shabbat. The light rail’s Red Line runs through Bnei Brak, the densely-populated haredi city, which has been cited as a primary reason the line will be shut down on Shabbat. READ MORE

ARUTZ SHEVA Public transportation on Shabbat? Likud MK has a condition Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai announced that he would boycott the inauguration ceremony of the Tel Aviv Light Rail as an act of protest against its non-operation on Shabbat.

JNS Tel Aviv Light Rail to open to the public Friday The Red Line’s 34 stations run from Bat Yam through Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan and Petach Tikva