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Israel opened a high-speed rail link between Ben Gurion International Airport and Jerusalem on Tuesday, part of a $2 billion project that has been long-awaited by Israelis.
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The train will cut travel time between Ben Gurion Airport and a new, 80-metre-(260-foot)-deep underground terminal at the entrance to Jerusalem to around 20 minutes. By road, the trip takes at least 40 minutes.
At the airport, the bright red train drew smiles from eager passengers.
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PM Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz on test run last week
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"It was like a dream come true ... It's really quite amazing and will be a valuable asset to people wanting to get to and from the airport," said Manchester-born Eli Rothbard, 45, a ground services employee at Ben Gurion.
The train, travelling at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour (100 mph), traverses a series of new tunnels and bridges, passing through hills between Jerusalem and the airport, about 40 km (25 miles) away.
The line runs through sections of the outskirts of Jerusalem, and in the Latrun Valley, about midway between the holy city and Ben Gurion Airport.
On a test run last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the opening of the line was "an historic moment" heralding a "new era for Jerusalem and the state of Israel."
There have been plans for a fast train between Jerusalem and the city of Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub on the Mediterranean coast, since 1995. But the project—infrastructure work began in 2005—has been slow-moving, plagued by a lack of funding and environmental concerns.
Completion of electrification work and the opening of the 60-km (37-mile)-long route between the two cities has been frequently postponed. No firm inaugural date has been announced.
When completed, the train journey time between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will take under half an hour. The drive takes at least an hour. An existing rail line built by the Ottoman Turks more than 100 years ago meanders around picturesque hills and the journey takes more than 90 minutes.