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| PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2) (1096503) | |||
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PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:07:35 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 1), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 15:18:16 2011. The light at Kikar Tzahal (at the end of Jaffa Road) was another very long one, as it had also been during the preview ride I was a part of on Tuesday afternoon. Once we got underway again, we ran along the Old City wall for a short distance along the only part of the line to have an entirely grass ROW. The view in the distance is East Jerusalem: View from the Shivteo Yisrael station, literally on the Green Line. The column just ahead of the train marks the location of the Mandelbaum Gate, the only access point between East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem during the Jordanian occupation from 1948 until 1967. This is also one of only 4 island platform stations along the entire line.  On the incline after leaving the station and approaching Kikar Zaks and the American Colony Hotel, we ran one of the two headed "signals" alongside the line with yellow lights. Generally, the top one would be lit, but this time the bottom one was lit and once the operator realized this, he put the brakes on hard and came to a quick stop (although he passed the "signal"). He had to call control before moving again. I asked an employee standing next to me what had happened and he essentially said we had run through a light, though I still can't figure out what these signals do. As we wait to leave the Shimon HaTzadik station, another train approaches from the other direction:  However, just as the trains get a green light, a car dashes across the tracks (running its red light):  View of the right of way as the train heads north towards Ammunition Hill, along one of the faster (but not fastest) stretches of track along the line, reaching a speed of about 50 KPH (31 MPH) along here IIRC.  Entering Ammunition Hill Station, about an hour and 5.1 miles after leaving Har Herzl (for the record, a bus could probably travel from Ammunition Hill to the Jaffa Center station in as little as 15 minutes, depending on the bus route):    I believe the speed limit between Ammunition Hill and Givat HaMivtar is 60 KPH, the highest limit along any point of the line. At French Hill Junction (Givat HaMivtar), we had another long wait for a light, nearly 5 minutes if not more. After finally passing through the intersection, we headed through the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat.    Entering Beit Hanina Station, the last of the three stops in Shuafat:  We also passed a train here, which would be the last southbound train of the day (service was supposed to end at 3 PM on Friday so that the trains would be off the line before Shabbat started).  The train was emptier at this point, although still carrying a crowd. Also at about this point, the attendant and operator began gathering their cigarettes, anxiously awaiting a break and beginning to talk about their desire to talk the dispatchers in to letting them just deadhead to the depot and not do another trip, or at least to have a coffee break before going back.  At 2:35 PM, 1 hour and 40 minutes after leaving Har Herzl, we made it to Heil HaAvir in Pisgat Ze'ev. If any of you have been calculating the average speeds based on the timing and distance info I provided, you'll realize the average speed of the train including stops over the course of the entire 8 mile trip was about 5 MILES PER HOUR! (Maybe this is why they use the metric system, doesn't an average speed of 8 kilometers sound much more impressive?)  The attendant and operator got their way, by the time we reached the end of the line the next train indicator had been turned off and instead showed that service had ended for the day, even though it was not yet 3 PM.  Heil HaAvir Station, the northeastern terminal of the line:  A few minutes later, our follower showed up (from what I could tell, if there was an attempt for even spacing between trains, it didn't work out very well, 3-5 minute waits could be followed by 30 minute waits).     For some more photos and some overall observations, see part 3... |
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