Israel's Metro Project Gains Momentum Under New Leadership

Yifat Afek Arzi, who took the helm at NTA (National Transport Network) a year and a half ago, has become a pivotal figure in the planning of Israel's most significant government transportation project: the Gush Dan Metro. While the metro is still some way from realization, under Afek Arzi's leadership and in collaboration with NTA CEO Itamar Ben-Meir, the project poised to revolutionize Israeli transportation is advancing rapidly. For years, the metro project languished, while traffic congestion, gridlock, and housing prices around employment centers continued to escalate. Afek Arzi emphasized the economic cost of not having a metro this year, making it clear that the question is not just the cost of construction, but the economic toll of its absence on productivity, travel times, access to jobs, and the ability to expand the metropolitan area without increasing the number of cars.

Afek Arzi's primary challenge is transforming the metro from a national plan into a tangible project. This involves a complex system with dozens of stations, tunnels, land expropriations, inter-authority coordination, and reliance on numerous government decisions. Consequently, 2026 was designated by Afek Arzi as a year for building trust, aiming to convince the government, local authorities, and the public that the metro will not be repeatedly postponed. Additionally, alongside NTA's professional staff, she engaged internationally to attract foreign companies to participate in the metro's construction at a time when Israel's standing is perceived as low. The participation of foreign companies in tenders demonstrates a clear business interest in the Israeli market.