At 300 feet long, 800 tons, and 22.5 feet wide, a Tunnel Boring Machine is able to not only dig 75 feet of tunnel a day 90 feet under the surface, but also lay down the concrete to reinforce and build the tunnel. Twenty-five people are needed to work it, and it has everything from bathrooms, a dining room, and an observation deck.
Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said “By the end of the project, the light rail is expected to serve 70,000 people – something which will enable people to drive less in private vehicles, and use more public transportation.”
The ministry is already planning to begin another 2 light rail lines in 2018: the 26-mile Green Line between Herzliya and Rishon LeZion, and the 11-mile Purple Line between Tel Aviv and the Tel HaShomer area, which will pass through Sheba Medical Center, Bar Ilan University, and finally ending in Kiryat Ono and Or Yehuda.