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* Address by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Inauguration of the Railroad Line to Ashkelon
* Address by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Inauguration of the Railroad Line to Jerusalem
* Address by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Inauguration of the Railroad Line to Ashkelon
As always, I am happy to attend this Israel Railways event.
Several years ago, during my first tenure as Prime Minister, I said that in light of our many investments in railroads, in my second tenure there would be inaugurations of railroad lines in all parts of the country. And indeed, during this tenure I have already had the pleasure of attending quite a few inauguration ceremonies for new railroad lines and new train stations.
Undoubtedly, what we have achieved here in the past years, is a true revolution – the “Train Revolution”, and I thank you, all of you, for this great effort. The train will reach more and more places, and more and more people will discover it and start using it.
The greatest emphasis in the Israel Railways five-year plan – which aims for investments of approximately 20 billion NIS in 2004-2008, and 60 million passengers per year – is targeted towards the development of infrastructures in the Negev and the Galilee.
The amount which is planned for investment in railroad infrastructures in the Negev is unprecedented. It will constitute a springboard for economic development in the entire southern region of the country.
The station here at Ashkelon, which we inaugurate today, is only one landmark in the “Train Revolution”. Ashkelon will not be the last station. In fact, it is a stepping stone for the future. From Ashkelon the railway will continue to Sderot (I suggest that the Mayor of Sderot prepares for this), Netivot and Offakim in which further stations will be constructed and they will eventually be connected to Beer Sheva.
We decided to announce the Ashkelon-Beer Sheva line as a national project, due to its enormous importance to the development of the South. The railway which will reach these towns in the coming years, will drastically change the economic and employment reality in which they operate.
The city of Ashkelon, in which we today inaugurate the new line, could serve as a good example of that: for an immigrants town which rose from the maabarot [immigrant camps], it turned into a prospering city with a proclaimed international port for shipping and tourism, a city with an oil port and a power station, a city with a developing center for advanced technologies, an academic college and excellent manpower which includes many immigrant academics.
Such a city, which is less than an hour’s drive from Tel Aviv, is neither provincial nor peripheral – it is an inseparable part of Israeli society.
A year and a half ago, when I inaugurated the train station in Ashdod, I said that I look forward to inaugurating the station at Ashkelon.
It is my wish for the city of Ashkelon and its residents that the train station we inaugurated here today, will contribute to the development and prosperity of the city. And my wish for Israel Railways, is that we will meet again soon at the inauguration of the station at Sderot.
Thank you very much for all your activities and for all you have done and continue to do.
* Address by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Inauguration of the Railroad Line to Jerusalem
I would like, first of all, to thank the employees of the Israel Railways. Without you nothing would have been achieved. We could have wanted to achieve this, or planned it, but something should have also been done and you were the ones who did it.
The Psalms describe Jerusalem as “a city united together”, and our Talmudic scribes explained the expression “city united together” as “it makes all of Israel friends of one another”.
Jerusalem is above any argument in Israel, and there cannot be any dispute on its future as the eternal united capital of the Jewish people. Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3007 years, since King David, who ruled for seven years and six months in Hebron, turned it into the capital of the Jewish people, and is the united and undivided capital of the State of Israel forever.
Today, Israel Railways provides an additional, more updated, interpretation of the city united together – in connecting the capital, after 7 years, to the national railway network.
The opening of the Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem railway is one of two celebrations being held today by Israel Railways.
I arrived here today by train from Ashkelon – a city which inaugurated a train station of its own today. It is a marvelous and beautiful ride (Please make more stops on the way so that the public will come and enjoy this beautiful landscape).
These two happy events are manifestations of the revolution currently taking place in the Israeli railway field – “the Train Revolution”.
With an investment of 20 billion NIS between 2004-2008, this Israel Railways five-year plan creates not only a new train map, but also a different economic reality, with all the business and employment opportunities which it generates.
We have begun investing these enormous amounts in infrastructures at a time when we were forced to make painful cuts in the state budget.
We have done so in the belief that this is the right and most profitable investment for the economy, as it is the type of investment which encourages growth.
The sharp increase in economic growth rates in the past year has proven how right we were.
Our journey by train to Jerusalem was an exhilarating “time travel”.
Not only were the magnificently beautiful landscapes of nature exhilarating, but so too were the memories which this journey evoked.
During the 1929 riots the residents of the Hartuv village were forced to flee to the train station at the edge of the town, in fear of Arab rioters.
They escaped on the train leaving to Jaffo and as they were departing they could see, through the carriage windows, their homes going up in flames.
During the War of Independence, transportation by train was completely halted and Jerusalem was under siege.
Those times have been and gone.
Jerusalem now exists safely as the capital of Israel and the largest city in the country.
In place of the Hartuv village, the city of Beit-Shemesh has grown – a city in a rapid development and momentum. And from the mountains of Judea we can again hear the sound of the train travelling safely to Jerusalem, uninterruptedly.
Three years ago, when we started formulating the train’s working plans, it was clear to us that Jerusalem must not be kept waiting until the completion of the complex engineering work involved in the Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem fast line, for the train to be connected.
It is for this reason that we decided to work simultaneously – to upgrade the old railroad to Jerusalem, which serves the residents of Beit-Shemesh on their way to work in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and concurrently, to start working on the Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem fast line, which goes through Ben-Gurion Airport and the city of Modiin.
As one who has been closely following the construction process of these railroads, I feel great satisfaction today.
I thank the many people who took part in this incredible project and contributed to its completion, and I congratulate Israel Railways for successfully completing another of its many tasks.
A year and a half ago, when I inaugurated the Beit-Shemesh train station, I said that I had already been anticipating the inauguration of the Jerusalem train station.
Today, it is my wish for Jerusalem and its residents, that the train station inaugurated here today, will contribute to the city’s development.
And my wish for Israel Railways, is that we will soon meet at the inauguration of the fast train station at the entrance to Jerusalem, at Binyanei Hauma.
Thank you all and a happy holiday.
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