Electrification for Israel’s Railways

National Roads Company (NRC) and Israel Railways (IR) have signed a cooperation agreement for the electrification of Israel’s railway network and issued an invitation to prequalify for the first phase of the project.

The agreement states that IR will electrify the existing rail network whilst NRC will be responsible for electrifying the new railways it is constructing including the 30km Tel Aviv to Kfar Sava line and the 23km Acre to Carmiel line.

Invitation to Pre-qualify for Electrification Tender

On the 15th October, IR issued a pre-qualifying invitation for the tender to design, erect, commission and maintain electrification of the existing network which covers 420km. The submission deadline is the 31st December. The Ministry of Transport has also established an electrification steering committee which includes representatives from IR, NRC and the ministry. It will be headed by General Manager of the Ministry of Transport Mr Uzi Yitzhaki.

Speaking of the electrification project, IR General Manager Mr Boaz Zarir said “At last, after many years of planning and design, the railways’ most important project is underway. This will be the basis for a significant improvement in services, raising speeds, capacity, and frequency to cater for growing passenger numbers and higher freight volumes.”