Eco-tourists may be able to get to see these underwater creatures in Eilat faster due to the construction of a railway line from Tel Aviv.
Eilat, located at the southern tip of Israel, draws both local and international tourists year-round due to its warm weather and marine biodiversity. Though not equipped with an international airport, it does receive domestic flights since the only alternatives are to drive yourself (which takes about six hours from Tel Aviv) or take a public bus (which takes even longer).
The Israeli Cabinet is hoping to improve public transportation to this popular destination and approved the construction of a new railway line from Tel Aviv to Eilat this week. The train would shorten the travel time to a speedy two hours.
The 350 kilometer railway line would be used by both passengers and freight cargo, and the project will hopefully begin operations five years from the start of construction.
Alternatives for financing the project are being considered by a team chaired by the Prime Minister’s Office Director-General Harel Locker.
Of the project, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Tel Aviv-Eilat railway line, which will shorten travel time to two hours, will change the face of the country.”
“For 63 years,” he continued, “there has been talk about linking up the periphery to the center, but nothing has been done. The railway line and Israel’s natural gas resources can forge strong links in the economic, energy and industrial fields.”
Read more about Eilat:
Eilat to Host Major International Energy Conference
Israel’s Eilat Region Could Be Middle East’s Clean Tech Beta Site
The 2010 Eilat Eilot Renewable Energy Conference Looks to Carbon-Free Energy
Image via: Britrob
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
