Some Israeli News

[daveklepper]

Was coal, then oil, now switching to natural gas, a local resource discovered.

Some Hydroelectric, town f Kiryat Shemonah in the North.

[Electroliner 1935]

daveklepper

The Jerusalem-Tel Aviv electrification from Jerusalem's Navon Station reached the Hagana station in south Tel Aviv in December.  Monday’s opening marks the addition of two staions within Tel Aviv — Savidor and HaShalom. The electrification is expected to reach Tel Aviv University and the suburb of Herzliya to the north this year.

Dave, What is the fuel used in Israel to generate electicity?

[Overmod]

The solution for them is really quite easy -- and it involves elements of 'point and call' as used on the railroads.

Use existing sensor-fusion techniques to scan a crowd periodically and perform 'face detection' as appropriate for masked individuals, then aim calibrated IR thermometers using spot laser designation (to 'show' point of reading on face-detected image) and overlay readings.  This will give a streaming video of admitted people with spots and displayed temperatures, and presumably those with 'excess' temperature will sound an alert and be 'findable' for whatever further action, mandatory masking or quarantine, is supposed to follow the thermometry.  There will likely be some problem for some forms of purdah, presuming measurements can't be made through forehead coverings...

Of course you have to have a rule that people look up, perhaps 'point and call' the detector, and that anyone who keeps their head down or uses a phony mask or whatever to avoid detection gets duly flagged -- low temperature as well as high being sensed and noted.  Someone NOT monitoring the overall flow will have to supervise those who don't get reliably 'automatically' detected and give them a spot forehead (or other) scan.

Equally of course, if there was paranoia in Israel before this will only make it much worse.  The most obvious 'next step' is to sensor-fuse this with actual facial-feature recognition, tracking location, and then conveniently offer or require 'brief serological testing' to those who test positive or are 'uncertain'.  This is the sort of opportunity that would make even Erich Honecker excited and expectant... and would take a combination of careful up-front explanation and social will to overcome the disease to implement.

Of course it also ignores another nasty little characteristic of COVID-19: developed high fever is a sign less of infection than of fairly advanced potential progression to ARDS-like immune complications.  So by the time this is detected much of the likely viral-shed 'damage', social or otherwise, may already have been well established.

[daveklepper]

 From Times of Israel, excepted and edited

 

Efforts underway to check passengers’ temperatures without causing overcrowding at station entrances to ermit resumption of service this Sunday

 TOI STAFF11 May 2020, 12:21 pm

 

Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich inaugurated the extension of the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv high-speed train this past Monday.  It was fast-tracked due to coronavirus regulations that closed the rail system.

 

At the inauguration,Transortation Minister Smotrich announced plans to buy 24 more electric trains.

 

“The existing systems are very old and the maintenance is poor. “The new trains are cheaper, quieter and greener. There will be far fewer glitches and delays.  DLK:  Idon 't think maintenance was poor!)

 

With the rail system still shut, Smotrich said there were efforts to find a way to take passengers’ temperatures without causing excessive congestion at the entrances to stations.

 

He was crticized a day earlier for long lines and overcrowded conditions at bus stations as soldiers returned to their bases after the weekend, using public transportation routes still running at a limited capacity due to the pandemic.

 

The Jerusalem-Tel Aviv electrification from Jerusalem's Navon Station reached the Hagana station in south Tel Aviv in December.  Monday’s opening marks the addition of two staions within Tel Aviv — Savidor and HaShalom. The electrification is expected to reach Tel Aviv University and the suburb of Herzliya to the north this year.

 

The electric  train began operating 18 years after the project started and 11 years after its originally scheduled completion date.

 

 

 

 

The new line significantly shortened the commute between Israel’s two largest cities, but until now only went as far as the Tel Aviv Hahagana station in the south of the city.

 

The project to electrify the track as far as the central Tel Aviv station was completed using funds specially designated to allow infrastructure projects to be carried out while the streets were relatively empty due to the lockdown.

 

Work on the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem light rails were also accelerated under the specially approved budget, with the former not even expected to inaugurate its first line until mid-2022 and the latter plagued with delays as it seeks to extend its already existing line.

 

he empty Yitzhak Navon train station in Jerusalem April 23, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

 

Construction to expand the fast lanes in central Israel’s Ayalon highway also took place while traffic slowed to a trickle, thanks to NIS 54 million ($15 million) from the approved budget. Other highways that enjoyed a jolt in their work for lane expansions included routes 2, 4 and 5.

 

Smotrich pushed for infrastructure workers to be included among those the government deemed essential personnel so that they would be allowed to continue working, as the vast majority of Israelis were ordered to remain at home amid the lockdown.

 

 

 

[daveklepper]

  Trans Israel Ltd. has published today-07.04.2020-an international PQ process for the groups to participate in the concession tender of the $838 million  Haifa-Nazareth LRV (tram/train) project to be published in the 4^th quarter of 2021.

The PQ has been published 3 months ahead/ the original date, due to the decision by/  Ministry/ transp. to accelerate/ project as part of the policy to move the economy forward  under the shadow of the epidemic & the economic slowdown.

It is a mega infrastructure complex project, the first of its kind/ Israel, which includes: design & building a tram/train line to serve the population of northern Israel, & to link the Greater Haifa  Metropolitan Area with the Nazareth & Galilee regions.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $1.96 billion.

The PQ published today-07.04.2020-turns both to international & local companies/ rich experience in providing similar rail services.

The participants at the PQ are requested to introduce the consortium structure which will be responsible as/concessionaire on all the project contents for the full concession period -yet  to be defined in / tender.

They are also requested to prove their experience in the following professional areas: managing & leading/ infrastructure projects as main contractor, experience in operating LRV/METRO projects, design 7 installation/ railway SYSTEMS, design & installation of signaling, design & installation of tracks, manufacturing & supply of rolling stock, & maintenance of LRV/METRO projects.

The groups to be approved at the PQ will be permitted to participate in PPP tender; there is no limit to the number/ participants & each group fulfilling the professional & financial requirements can participate; the latest date for submission of proposals is 17.11.2020.

and as a parallel process, Trans Israel has started the procedure/ selecting an international company to follow up the project's safety procedure until the approval for operation; this is required/ law as part of preparations to the LRV commercial operation & in order to receive operation permission/ the Rail Administration in the Transport Ministry.

The Transport Minister Mr. Bezalel Smotrich, the Chairman of Trans Israel Mr. Husssam Beshara, & Trans Israel General Manager Mr. Dan Shoenbach, said that the company has been defined as an essential service provider already from the outbreak of the corona epidemic, & therefore the tender & the procedure have been published today, to restart the economy; they all said that it is an important milestone of the project.

Attached, below are questions which I sent to Trans Israel General Manager Mr. Dan Shoenbach and his answers:

1. What is the present stage of the project?  > Preliminary Design

2. How many trains/cars will be required? > 30-40. Final decision will take along the design

4. Has it already decided which voltage to use; 750 VCD or 1500 VDC? > Not yet

 4. Any definite schedule?  >>>PPP tender – 2021, Full operation on 2027

 5. Sort of concession?       According to the PQ documents

.

All the material has been provided by courtesy of Mrs. Sarit Giladi/Dor-Trans Israel Communication Consultant.

Aharon Gazit

[daveklepper]

Photo  illustrating the first electric train to reach the Tel Aviv Central Station:

[daveklepper]

Steve Sattler <[e-mail]> Mon, Apr 6, 2020 at 11:14 AM Bcc: [e-mail] Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original Dear all,  a notice from the Isreal railway spokesman......     ......Israel Railways Spokesperson   History has been made.... The  High-speed railway from Jerusalem now comes to the Shalom & the Savidor stations in Tel Aviv * The electrified line has been extended.   The train-system builders  are  continuing their  acceleration of infrastructure projects due to the current period which has halted rail traffic due to the epidemic. After the recently completed construction of the electrification infrastructure structures at the  Savidor station, carried out this morning (Sunday); a  successful test-drive of a  fast electric train from the Haganah station to the Shalom & Savidor station was run..   Electrification of this section was planned to be completed in June '20, but the train-company & The  Sami Spanish company very activity accelerated electrification & infrastructure ahead by 2 months. In the coming weeks more tests & special  train trips, will be running with passengers .   The test drive is intended to carry out a preliminary examination of the electrical infrastructure and finding gaps in preparation for commercial operation of the line. So passengers can enjoy direct drive, with no changes  between Jerusalem & Tel Aviv Savidor .   * CEO "To train Michael (Micha) Miiksnr * "Said the completion of the electrification & operation of high-speed line between Jerusalem & Tel Aviv Savidor is a significant public step for  passengers, who will benefit from the expansion of the service stations to Shalom & Savidor, which enjoy high connectivity all over Gush Dan . Unfortunately, this achievement comes at a in time / this plague & has  closed, many services ....but we're working hard towards better days, and make public rail service ensures quality . " Miiksnr added "This is an important achievement for the national project electrification of the rail network, which comes after great efforts & labor intensive & electrification of railway contractor in cooperation with gov. representatives . This achievement demonstrates the necessity of accelerating the electrification outline drafted with the contractor electrification, sponsored by the state & representatives of the M/ Transport & Finance. Especially on days when the possible acceleration of the project & rail transport & transportation system in Israel into a  more advanced age . Translated by Steve

[blue streak 1]

From IRJ a few cancellations

Israel

 

Israel Railways has withdrawn passenger services on the following routes: Rishon Le-Zion Harishonim – Lod, Beit-Shemesh – Jerusalem Malkha, and Dimona – Beer-Sheva North/University. This was after 34 train crew were put into isolation after helping passengers who were infected by the coronavirus.

 

[Backshop]

What will women be capable of next.  Maybe they can be an astronaut or be the leader of a large country...

[daveklepper]

 Sun, 8 Mar 2020 int.net>

The train passengers were surprised to find that the train staff and the station which provided them with service consisted entirely of women * 

 

      Passengers on the train to the first Rishon LeTzion  station were in for a  a special surprise last Thursday when they discovered that the staff that provided them with service at the train and at the Lod station, which is the train's departure station, consisted entirely of women - the locomotive driver, Tatiana Solomnik; train inspector Dana  Kalki; Dray: the security guard, Ortal Getta, and Mittal Dadia, the cashier of the station. 

 

Tatiana, said......"As a locomotive driver, I drive tens of thousands of people every day, who trust me to bring them safely and comfortably, it's a great responsibility that brings tremendous satisfaction,"  "Locomotive driving requires concentration and emphasis on detail, strengths that characterize women. Women will apply for Train drivering. "

 

Dana Malki, railway inspector says: "When I started working as a passenger train inspector who saw me was very surprised and now the reactions are no longer showing, but very satisfying. The inspector's work is not just ticket testing, but driving and maintaining passenger safety. It is not an easy job that requires effort Physically and mentally, but it is very satisfying and interesting. "

 

Sabine Dray, the shift manager at Lod Station was excited to be part of the team, and recalled her first role on the train, as a superintendent: "When I got on the train I was the first superintendent in the entire southern region, and this morning I was excited to see more and more women being taken on the train in operational and service roles." 

 

Ortal Getta, who was taken on a train security role after long service in the Army in operational roles, said: "As a security guard, I am a first-in-class passenger service squad, and I am still excited to serve soldiers and soldiers along with all train passengers." 

 

At present, three drivers work on Israel Railways, with one of them advancing to the role of driver instructor, who trains dozens of new locomotive drivers and six inspectors each year, alongside dozens of women in service and security positions at various stations and locations. 

 

The train notes that although more women have been absorbed in recent years, "we have set ourselves the goal of increasing the inclusion of women in operational and service roles, calling on women to apply for a variety of positions that open each year on the train."

 

For more information, spokeswoman for Israel Railways

I have translated this from the hebrew,

Steve

[daveklepper]

Indormation rom: Steve Sattler <[e-mail]>

Subject: His lost wallet returned

A visitor from Australia.

A Visitor  to Israel was saved by the vigilance of the
shift manager at the train station in Netanya.

At the train station in Netanyan, an Israeli resident of Australia lost his wallet

with ten thousand shekels in notes euros, Australian dollars and
Israeli shekels during his  visit.

The Shift manager at the station located the wallet and returned it to the
shocked Passenger.

The Netanya station staff serve every month hundreds of thousands of
passengers, and it is common that  lost items are handed in to the station
office.

Even so, this event was unusual.

 A few days ago -tourist-  Daniel Ovadia, an Israeli resident of Australia,
who came to visit his family in Israel, was at the Netanya train station,
and when -later- he arrived at his  destination, -the Shalom station in
Tel Aviv,  he discovered to his horror that his wallet, containing nearly ten
thousand shekels in notes euros, Australian dollars and shekels, credit
cards and important documents, was  lost.

At the same time, Israeli-born-*Charlie* Biton, shift manager at
Netanya, who was on a routine patrol on the platform, found the lost
wallet, and was shocked to find this much  money in it.
He immediately notified all teams,  trains and stations nationwide about
the find.

After about an hour, Daniel, - now is a serious panic -  made concrete
efforts to locate his loss by every means at his disposal, and he contacted
the Shalom station office with his enquiry.  It took two minutes for the
staff to notify him that his wallet had been found - with the money.

After verifying and the authentication process, Daniel, returned to the
Netanya station , where Station master  *Charlie* Biton, was waiting for
him - with the wallet.

Daniel, who was very excited that his property had been
found, Said  "After years when I lived in Australia, I am in the
process of returning  to Israel as a returning resident. The honest  deed
of station-master Charlie and his  railway workers; I will now
return, thanks to the integrity and the good people we have in this
country.+

Charlie Biton, added:- "We are confronted - daily with many lost
articles, and treat every loss, big or small, as valuable, since we don't
not know what it means for the traveler. The moment  I saw the amount of
money - I knew we had a serious mission on our hands.*

I'm glad I could help Daniel and save his visit in Israel

In principle - if any passenger loses any item on the train or the
stations - he should turn to the station office - and ask. We will do what
we can to return that item to the passenger.*

- Show quoted text -

[daveklepper]

Egged provided every ten-minutes bus service Jerusalem to both the TA Central Bus Station, a two-block walk from the Railway TA Hagana Station, and to the Arlozoroff Terminal, right at the TA Central Railway Station.

 

The first mentioned bus service is now every 15 minutes rush hours and every 20 midday.

 

From south to north, the four Tel Aviv stations are Hagana, Shalom, Central ("Merkaz") and North-Tel-Aviv-Tel-Aviv-University.  All routes seving TA have access to all four stations, but not all trains serve all four.  Still, service between them is frequent enough to regard it as rapid-transit for local travel.

 

Arlozoroff bus service remains every 10 minutes, expected to also to be reduced when electric trains run through, not requiring a change at Hagana.

 

The value of a one-seat ride is proven.

[daveklepper]

Previous post a later and more professional version of the same idea.

[54light15]

 a propellor driven railcar? Do you mean this one? 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schienenzeppelin 

In Nashville, Tennesee is the Lane Motor Musuem, a collection of mostly unusual automobiles. Tiny cars, 3 wheeled cars, you name it. He has several propellor driven cars. One was at a show in Michigan a few years ago. A two-seater built in the 1920s with a modern engine driving the prop. The prop is on the front of the car and is surrounded by a wooden ring. That's all. No other protection and that thing is licensed and legal to drive! 

https://www.lanemotormuseum.org/collection/cars/item/helicron-1932 

[daveklepper]

The Tr. &Tr. Society of Israel A::- The historical Haifa–Dera'a line was built at the beginning of the 20th century and connected the Port of Haifa with the main part of the Hejaz railway, the Damascus–Medina line. Like the entire Hejaz railway, it was a 1,050 mm narrow gauge line. The last stop of the Haifa–Dera'a line within the Mandate Palestine borders was at al-Hamma, today Hamat Gader. Planning and construction took four years. The railway was inaugurated on October 15, 1905, and regular services operated on it until 1948.

B::- Pinches Ruttenberg - a Russian Jew got permission to build a hydro-electric complex on the Yarmuk river- near the Jordan river to make electricity = 60 mega watt -with three generators. It worked for 12 years. It provided electricity for Haifa and the North. King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan was very keen on this project.

he Yarmuk river -from Jordan. Note the 1905 stone bridge of the Valle

he Yarmuk River - after the recent rains in the North -in full flood. Most of the stones in this area are basalt rock -  A very hard rock- but it cracks - naturally-  in extreme hot or cold temperatures.

 

Old rail-cars of the 1905- 1948 valley railway - that brought stuff from Haifa (and Acco) ports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

the British border post- between West Palestine and TransJordan.  A customs Station.

Steve Satler

[daveklepper]

Jan 24, 2020 Written byJeremaya Goldberg TRAFFIC increased by 76% in the first month of operating a through service on Israel’s A1 link between Jerusalem Navon and Tel Aviv Hahagana, without passengers having to change trains at Ben Gurion Airport. A push-pull electric heads away from Jerusalem on the A1 Link to Tel Aviv. The number of monthly passengers jumped from 224,000 on December 20 2019 to 395,000 on January 21. Israel Railways (IR) is currently operating 30 trains per day per direction on the A1 link. The journey time from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv with one intermediate stop at Ben Gurion Airport is 32 minutes, and 34 minutes in the opposite direction. This is slightly longer the originally planned time of 28 minutes. IR is accelerating electrification works in Tel Aviv in order to reach Tel Aviv Hashalom, Tel Aviv Savidor/Central, and later Tel Aviv University and Hertzliya stations.

Quick Reply

[blue streak 1]

DAVE:  Interesting article about increase in passengers riding the a1 line.

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/middle-east/traffic-soars-on-israels-extended-a1-link-to-tel-aviv/  

[daveklepper]

I think in truth it was 100Kmp, but exaggeration is permitted.

[charlie hebdo]

The link worked and led me to an informative and safe article which claimed the German pilot's propeller-driven railcard reached a speed of 100 mph in a line where the steam locomotive trains ran at 30 mph.  Draw your own conclusions. 

[Overmod]

blue streak 1

FWIW a link inside the NYT article set off my dangerous virus alert and to leave page which I did.

You mean the inline link to Levanony's stories, including the one about the Germans with their homebuilt Schienenzep?

My browser did not flag a security alert, but didn't render the page either.  And it bollixed the internet connection for a couple of minutes; it appears the loaded page seizes the browser's attention somehow, and I had to close the page to get the Trains site to work again.  Perhaps Mr. Klepper or someone else 'connected enough' can find the actual original URL and post it as a link.  

What I resolved was https://news.walla.co.il/item/2946750, but I did not know how to render the page in English instead of Hebrew.

[blue streak 1]

NorthWest

Lovely NYT editorial on the subject:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/opinion/israel-railroad-tracks.html

I am not a subscriber but could access it without a paywall.

 

 

FWIW a link inside the NYT article set off my dangerous virus alert and to leave page which I did.

[A McIntosh]

NorthWest

Lovely NYT editorial on the subject:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/opinion/israel-railroad-tracks.html

I am not a subscriber but could access it without a paywall.

 

Thanks for the article. The tour group I was on stopped at Gesher and I saw that bridge and the rolling stock still there. there is a saddle tank steam engine on display in the exhibition hall.

[NorthWest]

Lovely NYT editorial on the subject:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/opinion/israel-railroad-tracks.html

I am not a subscriber but could access it without a paywall.

[daveklepper]

We always have what in the USA or Canada would be considered a high-securiy alert.  The high-profile killing of a truly very evil person has not changed anything as far as day-to-day security.  However, a few rerservist at the Yeshiva have been called to active duty  -- but with time off for the Sabbath, which they are here today to enjoy Sabbath with their families and at the Yeshiva.

[A McIntosh]

Given the recent tensions over the Solimani killing in Iraq, is there greater security concerns on these trains, as well as other transit modes?

[daveklepper]

I'd say about 10% of the conversstions I overhear on light rail and Egged busses are in Russian, and it used to be more.  But now also, very recent, about 10% in French!  There are stores in Jerusalem that have signs in Russian as well as Hebrew and/or Engnlish and/or Arabic.  I hear French as well, also Etheopian, Chinese.  Arabic compared to Hebrew and English is very rout dependent, of course.

Bigest impact of Russian immigration is in music.  About 35% of the classical musicians I hear were born in Russia.  Including members of the Philharmonic.

[Backshop]

While I know it's not "official", how much Russian is spoken on the street?  I remember reading that, since the fall of the USSR, there has been a huge influx of Russian Jews to Israel.

[daveklepper]

A friend asked a question, but did not post it.  I thought I'd best answer it generally, here.  The question concerned languages officially used.  Hebrew, Arabic, and English are the three languages used officially, and all government documents are published in all three languages.  Ditto railroad station signs, although announcements on trains and buses is still spotty, but getting there. (Arab-sector buses, or at least the lines I use fairly often,  don't have on-board announcements at all, also still true of some Egged buses.)  Jerusalem Light Rail has it 100%, station signs, announcement in the cars and stations, moving signs in cars, fare machines, the works.

[daveklepper]

Most of the red cars, Bombardier, but this is a standard European design common to several car-builders, including Siemens.  Blue, Siemens.

[Electroliner 1935]

Dave, what manufacturer built the passenger cars in the photus?