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The Jerusalem Light Rail ((ヘブライ語:הרכבת הקלה בירושלים), ''HaRakevet HaKala Birushalayim'') is a light rail line, the first of several rapid transit lines planned in Jerusalem. Construction began in 2002 and ended in 2010, when the testing phase began. It was built by the CityPass consortium, which has a 30-year concession to operate it. The project required construction of the Jerusalem Chords Bridge as well as other renovation projects around Jerusalem. After repeated delays due to archaeological discoveries and technical issues, service began, initially free of charge, on August 19, 2011. It became fully operational on December 1, 2011. The line is long with 23 stops. Extensions are currently under construction to the northern suburb of Neve Yaakov and to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital to the southwest. When completed in 2016, these will extend the line's length to 22.5 km.〔 〕 With a total estimated cost for the initial line of 3.8 billion NIS (approx. US $1.1 billion),〔〔 the project was criticized for budget overruns, for its route serving the settlements of East Jerusalem and for contributing to air and noise pollution during construction.〔 ==History== In ancient times, Jerusalem was a point on the Ridge Route, also known as the Way of the Patriarchs, centrally located between the Via Maris (along the coast to the west) and the King's Highway (east of the River Jordan).〔 The primary roads led to the gates of the Old City, such as the Jaffa Gate and the Damascus Gate. It was along these roads that the city grew when it expanded beyond the walls of the Old City in the 19th century, the major thoroughfares of the city thus becoming the Jaffa Road, leading to the west in the direction of the coastal plain, the watershed routes (Ridge Route) leading north to Ramallah, Nablus, and Damascus, and south to Bethlehem and Hebron, and one to the east to Jericho.〔 Early plans for an electric tramway were drawn up by a Greek Lebanese engineer, George Franjieh, in 1892, who had been involved in planning the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway. The tram would connect the city with Ein Karem and Bethlehem.〔 In 1910, a tender for a tramway was published by the Ottoman authorities.〔 In 1918, the British Army built a rail system linking the German Colony with Al-Bireh, on the outskirts of Ramallah, traversing Jerusalem along a winding route. It was built by Rail Builders Company 272 of the British Royal Engineers, commanded by Colonel Jordan Bell, with some 850 Egyptian and local Arab laborers, about half of them women. The railway was used by the British army, and for a few months it supplied Allenby's troops. It was dismantled shortly after the front moved northward in late 1918. Some of the city's streets may have been paved along its route.〔 In the 1970s, when traffic congestion mounted in the city center, proposals were discussed for widening the main roads.〔 In 1996, the government approved new plans for an integrated network relying on rapid transit, including a light rail system and bus rapid transit.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jerusalem Light Rail」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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