ISRAEL’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety and project management company Trans Israel awarded a finance, build, design and operate (FBDO) contract to the Group Three consortium on February 20 for the Nofit light rail line that will connect Nazareth and Haifa.
The consortium consists of Alstom, Electra and Minrav, who will operate and maintain the 41km light rail line and its rolling stock for 25 years.
The value of the public-private partnership (PPP) contract, which covers track, signalling, electrification, ticketing, passenger information systems, 20 stations, a depot and control centre, and around 30 LRVs, was not revealed.
Construction is expected to start next year, with completion due by 2029.
Services will run every 4 minutes at peak times, at speeds up to 100km/h. Approximately 100,000 passengers are expected to use the line each day.
Rival bidders included Shapir with CAF; Comsa with Dan Bus and Denya Cebus; and Shikun & Binui with Egged.
The line is being built in response to predicted population increase in the region. The number of people in the Nazareth area is expected to grow by 40% by 2040, and in Shfaram and Kiryat Ata by 70%.
“The project is of tremendous importance to the economic resilience of the state of Israel,” says Trans Israel CEO, Mr Dan Shenbach. “It will serve as a significant growth engine for the economy in general, and the north in particular.”
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