The Israeli government has formally approved a special cable car tourism project to the Western Wall, proposed by Tourism Minister Yariv Levin. The decision was made at a festive cabinet meeting held at the Western Wall in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification.
The government approved the first phase of the project that is being led by the Tourism Ministry and Jerusalem Development Authority. The initial budget of NIS 15 million is to come from the ministry, with the total estimated cost of the project standing at about NIS 200 million.
With the approval of his recommendation, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin noted, “The future cable car will change the face of Jerusalem, allow easy and convenient access for tourists and visitors to the Western Wall and will serve as an exceptional tourist attraction.
“There is no more appropriate and exciting time than this – 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem – to launch this revolutionary project.”
The cable car is to run from the First Station, via the Mount of Olives, to the Dung Gate and will offer a solution to problems related to the inaccessibility of the Western Wall.
Access to the Western Wall is only available currently via narrow, winding and very crowded routes. The cable car will provide easy, quick and convenient access to the approximately 130,000 tourists and visitors who converge on the site every week, officials confirm.
The route of the cable car will stretch approximately 1.4 kilometers, carrying up to 40 cars with up to 10 passengers in each. The cable car can serve about 3,000 visitors an hour in each direction and will travel at speeds of up to 21 kilometers an hour.
The Tourism Ministry quoted professional estimates as saying the cable car will begin operating sometime during 2021.