Light Rail
Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area's Light Rail, The Dankal, is a fast, accessible and efficient way of traveling. Join the transportation revolution
About the Light Rail
Israel's biggest public transportation project
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3Lines -
14Cities -
90Km -
139Stations -
228Yearly travelers
Light Rail Lines
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The Red Line
The Dankal Red Line is the backbone of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area’s mass transit system. It passes through some of the most crowded areas in Gush Dan and serves many and diverse populations.
The Red Line -
The Green Line
The Green Line of Dankal connects central Israel from Holon and Rishon LeZion in the south, through Tel Aviv, and up to Herzliya in the north
The Green Line -
The Purple Line
The Purple Line of Dankal starts at the eastern parts of the metropolitan area, through Ramat Gan and Givatayim , and arrives to the heart of Tel Aviv
The Purple Line
What makes up the train
Dankal, the Gush Dan Light Rail, is made up of two connected cars, with a total length of 70 meters and a width of 2.65 meters. Such a train conformably accommodates 450 passengers, with fixed sits, folding sits, and areas for comfortable standing using various easily accessible handholds. The cars are accessible for wheelchairs and trollies and are equipped with advance LED lighting, a Wi-Fi network and information screens.
The train has a modern round front. It’s equipped with a complex mechanism of vertical and horizontal shock absorbers that is also designed for movement in tunnels and allows a fast, smooth and quite ride. Travel through tunnels also requires adherence to strict safety standards. All cars are equipped with security cameras that constantly transmit to the driver’s cabin as well as to the train control center. In addition, passengers can communicate with the driver or the control center in an emergency, using a digital intercom system located in every car.
Electric train
the Light Rail is electrical and has no locomotive. Cars carry eight electric engines fed by an overhead cable installed along the track. This is one of the greatest advantages of the Light Rail – it does not pollute the environment. And it has another important advantage – it does not only consume electricity, but it also produces electricity! When the train breaks or travels downhill, it actually produces energy that is fed back into the system. This way, it’s able to produce about 15% of the energy it consumes.
Automatic driver
Trains are the only vehicle that has no steering wheel. Since they travel on rails, there’s no need for it. Instead of a steering wheel, the driver has a “stick” (or throttle) to control the speed of the train. But the control of the stick is limited. When moving inside a tunnel (where the train doesn’t need to merge into traffic), the speed is determined automatically by remote control, just like in metro trains. When the train is moving above ground, it is coordinated with stop lights and has priority in junctions, to make rides shorter.
The train’s sandbox
The friction between the train’s wheels and the rails of the track is much lower than the friction between tires and the road. This allows the train to move smoothly on the track, but, at the same time, makes breaking more difficult. To overcome this, the cars of the train are equipped with embedded sand containers. When the train breaks, sand is injected in front of the wheels to increase the friction for breaking.