The project, which was designed and executed by the subsidiary Ahlstrom Light Rail, began in 2006 and was completed five years later, in 2011. The establishment of the first light rail line, which was a flagship project in Israel, paved the way for the construction of similar lines in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv.

The light rail depot was built in the northern neighborhood of French Hill. The depot is a technical and office area of the concession holder operator, where cars are maintained. The concrete slab used as infrastructure for the rails was placed using two custom-made machines crafted for this purpose.

Ashtrom Group, which was also a partner in the concession, had to overcome great challenges throughout the construction stages. First, there was no previous experience in Israel in laying down a light rail route. Second, the work in the city center and along the entire route required complex traffic arrangements in order to minimize as much as possible the disruption of traffic and movement of the city residents. Third, ancient tombs and antiquities were discovered along the route, which necessitated special handling, including building a bridge over a tomb. Fourth, the normally bustling Yaffo Street, right at the heart of the city, was especially challenging if only in order to reduce the damage to the business owners along the street in general and Mahane Yehuda market in particular. Fifth, the work required an enhanced workforce for night work, in an effort to minimize the disruption to the residents' daily lives during the day.

Benefits

Ashtrom Contracting, through its subsidiary Ashtrom Light Rail, always sets high standards of safety and professionalism in all its projects, including the Jerusalem Light Rail.

The light rail markedly upgraded Yaffo Street in many ways. The street is a major shopping, recreation and entertainment area, also attracting travelers and tourists from Israel and

abroad. Once the light rail works were completed, it became a pleasant, spacious pedestrian street along its entire length.

The project is also a great success in terms of its purpose, mass transit. From the very beginning of its operation, the light rail transported about 170 thousand passengers a day. The light rail is a quiet means of transportation and is perfectly adapted to persons with disabilities. One pass of the light rail cars has a capacity of transporting 500 persons at once, equivalent to 10 buses. The travel along the entire route takes about 30 minutes.

Thanks to the success of the Jerusalem light rail, the City of Jerusalem, the City of Tel Aviv, and the Ministry of Transport accelerated the construction of the other lines in Jerusalem and the Red Line in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, which started operations in 2023.