ISRAEL: The Regional Planning Committee has approved the proposed route for the Purple Line tramway in Jerusalem.
The 14 km line with 19 stops is intended to form an east-west corridor across the southern part of the city. The first stage would start from an interchange with the Blue Line at Talpiot and run west for 4·6 km to Malcha, where the depot is to be located, serving eight stops. The route would then continue via Kiryat HaYovel to the Hadassah-Ein Kerem hospital in the west, where it would share a terminus with an extension of the Red Line currently under construction.
Given the hilly topography of the area, the line is expected to require two major tunnels, as well as a number of bridges.
The Purple Line is due to be funded from the budget of 13bn shekels which the national government has already allocated for construction of the Green and Blue lines. Five consortia were shortlisted in August 2021 to tender for a 25-year PPP concession to build, operate and maintain the Purple and Blue lines totalling 31 route-km with 53 stops and a combined fleet of 61 trams.
