Municipality of Jerusalem Approves Light Rail Purple Line Plan

The purple line will be an important component of the municipal light rail network, which will serve the entire city. The proposed line is a unique "latitudinal line" in this network, which will connect the southeast of the city (Hebron Road/Talpiot) with the southwest of the city (Hadassah Ein Kerem).

The line will make it possible to connect the southern neighborhoods of Jerusalem to the network of light rail lines, including the neighborhoods of Kiryat HaYovel, Ir Ganim, Ramat Denia, Ramat Sharett, Malha, Givat Masua, Gonenim, Baka and Talpiot. It will also allow access to main urban centers, including the Hadassah Ein-Kerem campus, Agan Malha and the Talpiot industrial and commercial area.

The purple line will begin at the Tahon intersection, connecting to the red line along Szold Street, and from there continue east - along Tahon, Golomb and Kolitz streets. The line will turn east and continue in an underground section beneath the Malha neighborhood, and then return to an above-ground section, which will connect to the blue line at the G.A.T.I. Malha station.

From there, it will continue east - along the approved route of the blue and green line, to the Pat intersection, where the line will turn east, to Yehuda Hanasi Street, and continue on Ben Zakai Street to the Oranim intersection. Further on, it will turn south along the approved route of the green line, along Pierre Koenig Street to Hatnufa Street.

The purple line will connect with the red line at the Yaakov Tahon/Henrietta Szold intersection, with the blue line in the area of the Yitzhak Moda’i intersection and Hapoel Sports Association Road and in the Oranim intersection area, and with the green line at the Yaakov Pat/Yehuda HaNasi intersection.

The plan includes, among other things, procedures for construction of the tracks for the light rail, structures and infrastructure required for its operation, the location of the stations, organizational areas, and procedures for construction and development.

The plan also includes an appendix that presents complementary projects for the railway route, which aim to improve the quality of the urban space bordering the planned line, and the accessibility and connectivity to the light rail line. Among other things, they include development of paths, open spaces and the integration of mechanical means such as escalators and elevators.

The Committee discussed all the objections in detail, accepted some of them and rejected most of them. The continuation of the discussion of objections will be held before the District Committee.

The Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, said: "The route of the purple line is part of an overall plan for the development of the light rail network in Jerusalem. The operation of the line will improve accessibility between the various parts of the city, allow for optimal utilization of the land resources, contribute to preserving the environment, and promote the development of the city."

The presenters of the plan are the Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan team and the local committee; the editor of the plan, architect Ami Shanar; the office of Amir Man Ami Shanar, as well as other architects and city planners.