Israelis learn from Shenzhen Metro

Kahana Shlomo (1st R) talks with staff of Shenzhen Metro at a platform. Courtesy of Shenzhen Metro Group

Some technicians and managers under the Tel Aviv Red Line LRT Project in Israel arrived in Shenzhen on Monday for an eight-day training.

The training sessions will be conducted through classroom teaching and field visits. They will have opportunities to learn about every aspect of the city’s Metro operation and services, including operation control, overhaul, maintenance and ticketing.

“Through the training sessions, we hope to bring the management and service experience back to Israel to serve the development of our local transportation,” said Kahana Shlomo from Tel Aviv Red Line LRT Project on Thursday.

In 2017, Shenzhen Metro Group won the contract to operate the future Red Line, which is the first section of the Tel Aviv Light Rail.

The line, which will be put into operation in 2021, will run 23 kilometers from Bat Yam in the south to Petah Tikva in the northeast with a significant portion of it going underground. It will feature 33 stations, including 10 underground stations.

After completion, it will be the second underground rail service in Israel, following the Carmelit in Haifa. The line is expected to see an annual passenger flow of around 100 million.

“Under the14-year operation project, Shenzhen Metro will offer operational support and technical training to Israeli employees and help establish a set of scientific operation systems to ensure the operation of the Red Line,” said Gu Sufei, head of the international business department of Shenzhen Metro Group.

The Red Line project is the third overseas contract that Shenzhen Metro Group has signed following agreements to operate a light rail in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, and the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban rail transit system in Hanoi, Vietnam.