Israel announces USD 27 billion high-speed rail project

Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced a mammoth 100 billion shekel (USD 27 billion) plan to link the north and south of the country by rail. When completed, such a rail line would also allow the transport of goods from Israel to Saudi Arabia. The proposed high-speed rail line will run […]

Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced a mammoth 100 billion shekel (USD 27 billion) plan to link the north and south of the country by rail.

When completed, such a rail line would also allow the transport of goods from Israel to Saudi Arabia.

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The proposed high-speed rail line will run about 400 kilometers (250 miles), from the northern city of Kiryat Shmona to the southern city of Eilat.

My vision is for every Israeli citizen to be able to travel to or from the center from anywhere in the country in less than two hours, said Netanyahu.

In most cases under an hour, and even less than that. The premier pointedly connected the domestic project with regional peace, and specifically a future normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, which is currently under discussion in Washington.

It will also be able to link Israel by train to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula, we are working on that too, said Netanyahu.