JERUSALEM, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched a new high-speed train line between its two largest cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the state's Ministry of Transportation announced on Wednesday.
The total length of the new line is about 57 km, of which 32 km is on a new railroad route, which includes 9 new bridges and 5 new tunnels.
By 1998 trains were operated on an old line between the two cities, more than kilometers long, and taking more than 90 minutes in each direction.
Due to the long journey time, the number of passengers using the old line was low, so it was shut down.
The new line's travel time, however, will be only 32-34 minutes in each direction, at a speed of 160 km/h.
The cost of the new line, which will start operating this coming Saturday, is about 7 billion new shekels (2 billion U.S. dollars).
The new line includes a station at Ben Gurion International Airport, with train operation between Jerusalem and the airport already started in September 2018. From now on, it will also include the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
