Labor Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli told the Ynet/Yedioth Achronoth Transportation Conference on Monday that she will work to achieve a government agreement to operate public transportation on the Sabbath.
Michaeli said during an interview at the conference that the current diverse government “understands the days of siege in the State of Israel on weekends are ending.
“I have no doubt that we will reach agreements that would allow every Israeli to have real freedom of movement on any day of the week,” she said.
Michaeli called the massive traffic jams in Israel “an emergency situation,” saying “if drastic steps aren’t taken soon, it will only get worse.”
Regarding the interrupted train schedules in the country and a project that has caused mass delays and cancelations over the past two years, the minister said the electrification process can be done faster, “but it would mean shutting down trains for a long amount of time.”
Michaeli added that even though a new light rail service for central Israel is not due to become operational until November 2022, she is working to operate that service on the Sabbath as well.
