Ahead of Passover and the expected wave of pilgrimage to Jerusalem: Uri Maklev, Deputy Minister of Transportation, paid a professional visit to the city's light rail depot, where he met with Boaz Hirsch, CEO of the Lavi company, which is responsible for upgrading the light rail lines and operating the new lines in the city, alongside operating the renovated Red Line through the Kfir company.
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The visit was conducted against the backdrop of numerous complaints from residents and passengers to the Hadassah Medical Center - about frequent malfunctions, delays, and operational problems that were discovered with the launch of the light rail's red line extension to Neve Yaakov and Hadassah Ein Kerem.
The Deputy Minister toured the site along with the company's engineering and operations teams, received an overview of maintenance activities, and requested regular updates on the steps the company is taking to improve service.
Deputy Minister Maklev emphasized in his remarks the great importance of efficient and safe public transportation, especially on days of such high traffic congestion: "The public trusts public transportation - we are committed to providing them with a proper, available and comfortable travel experience."
The Deputy Minister noted that "the light rail is a connection between the edges of the city. When the service does not work, the gaps only deepen. Especially now, on the eve of Passover, when thousands of families are making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, it is our duty to ensure that transportation operates in the best possible way."
Lavi CEO Boaz Hirsch presented to the Deputy Minister the steps taken so far to correct the deficiencies, the schedule for completing the service improvement, and the challenges that currently exist, as new and advanced systems are being introduced to the line's operations.
Maklev asked to closely monitor the pace of progress, and pledged to continue to stay in touch with the residents and ensure that a quick response is received to any malfunction.
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