Israeli Government's Transportation Promises Stall Amid Funding and Implementation Gaps

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had prioritized transportation development as the government's second most important mission after countering Iran, pledging a transformative overhaul to reduce peripheral isolation, traffic congestion, and road accidents. He promised a high-speed railway connecting Eilat to Kiryat Shmona with a budget of 100 billion shekels. However, only a few billion shekels were allocated, none of which were utilized, and no planning for the Eilat rail line has yet been completed.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev pledged to establish a transportation cabinet led by the prime minister and herself, a commitment included in the government's foundational guidelines, but this cabinet was never formed. Regev also vowed to halve fatal road accidents by 2030, yet 2025 recorded the deadliest year on Israeli roads in two decades, with 459 fatalities.

Regarding the congestion tax in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Regev had categorically denied its implementation, but the law was not canceled. Instead, the government advanced it, issued tenders, and the tax is expected to take effect in about two years. Additional unfulfilled promises include establishing a Wizz Air base at Ben Gurion Airport, introducing Uber to Israel, launching sea shuttles, wheel-based trains, double-decker buses, autonomous vehicles, drones, and a system to prevent leaving children in cars.

Overall, the government's ambitious transportation plans remain largely on paper, with significant gaps between promises and actual progress.