First Purple Line cars arrive in Israel after vandalism in Spain

The first four train cars for the Purple Line of the Tel Aviv metropolitan light rail were unloaded Monday night at Haifa Port and will be moved in the coming weeks to the “Hataisim” depot for inspections, acceptance procedures, and preparation for official test runs. The shipment arrived just one week after pro-Palestinian activists sabotaged and damaged six other cars for the project, which were manufactured at CAF facilities in Spain.

Despite the vandalism abroad and concern over possible disruptions, NTA, the state transit company leading the project, said the incident is being handled and is not expected to delay the timetable or the planned opening of the line in 2028. The Purple Line is planned to run about 29 kilometers across Gush Dan and connect 10 local authorities.

Key stops on the route will include Bar-Ilan University, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Carmel Market, Allenby Street, and the seashore. The line is expected to serve about 260,000 passengers a day.

NTA chairwoman Yodfat Afek Arzi called the arrival “an important and significant milestone,” but said it also shows how much work remains. She said NTA will continue working “with full force, professionalism and responsibility” to advance its mass-transit projects and provide the public with a “modern, efficient and reliable” transport system. Micky Raviv, CEO of CAF Israel, also took part in the unloading and wished the project and NTA continued success in the construction work.