At the Calcalist National Economic Conference on Monday, Transport Minister Merav Michaeli stated that “this week we are signing a memorandum with the Tel Aviv Municipality implementing the plan to evacuate Central Station. One beat in early 2024 and a second beat in early 2026 – this is not a delay.” However, Calcalist has learned that in addition to the memorandum of understanding with the municipality, the Ministry of Transportation is working to promote a plan through the National Infrastructure Committee (VTL) that will allow the station to be evacuated.
The intention to promote the National Infrastructure Plan (TTL) for the Central Station appeared in the State’s response to a petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights on behalf of the opposition member of the Shula Keshet City Council and the Green Trend Organization. . According to the committee’s minutes, the Ministry of Transportation, the National Public Transportation Authority and Ayalon Highways are “promoting a national infrastructure plan that will allow the evacuation of Tel Aviv Central Station to an alternative site,” and are working to prepare the Panorama complex for public transport terminals.
The schedule of the Ministry of Transport for the evacuation of the Central Station was also revealed in the State’s response. According to the Ministry of Transportation, by 2023 the ministry will work to divert lines to existing facilities in a way that will lead to a reduction in hundreds of daily journeys and the cessation of passenger activity on the 2nd and 4th floors at Central Station. In the first quarter of 2024, work is expected to be completed on the completion of the Warriors parking lot, Phase A of Panorama (without the nature site on site) and the completion of the deaf terminal. These measures will enable the transfer of about 50% of the activity of the service lines at the station, the evacuation of most of the administrative activity and overnight parking, including refueling, rinsing, etc. The construction of the full panorama facility, which requires the approval of the TATL, is expected to take place only in the third quarter of 2026, and this will allow the evacuation of most of the Central Station’s activities.
By 2035, the state is expected to finally complete the construction of the replacement station in Ben Zvi (Main Business Tender).
The Tel Aviv Municipality also responded to the petition, reiterating the claim that no binding agreements were signed between the Ministry of Transportation and the municipality, but only general agreements and a feasibility study. It was also written that the promotion of the Panorama complex is contrary to the existing outline plan. However, the municipality does not oppose the process of promoting the Botel program and is currently cooperating with the Ministry of Transportation. About two months ago, representatives of the municipality, including Ofir Cohen, director of the Tel Aviv Transportation Authority, signed the document Israel and the municipality on an “order for the temporary use of an empty lot as a public parking lot” intended to regulate the parking of buses in Panorama.
In the first phase, the Panorama complex is expected to be used as a parking lot with a charging station for 113 electric buses, and will have 24 passenger loading terminals and 8 passenger dropping terminals. The complex is also expected to contain parking for about 500 bicycles and 132 private vehicles. In the second phase, the number of bus parking spaces will be expanded to 259, and the number of charging stations to 229. However, it is written that the electrification does not delay the opening of the compound.
The owner of most of the Central Station, and 16 other transportation terminals in the country, is a military company owned by Kobi Maimon. In recent days, there has been a struggle between Natsva and the Ministry of Transportation regarding the rent that the ministry pays for the various terminals, culminating in evacuation notices sent to some of the public transportation operators operating in them, claiming that the leases have ended. Natsva has an interest in improving the strategic real estate areas in which it owns, and therefore the company prefers to reduce its transportation activity.
In the case of Tel Aviv Central Station, the army has an interest in speeding up the evacuation as much as possible. Sources involved in the matter say that Natsva is even working to neglect the complex in order to lower its value and buy the stores that it does not own, but Natsva claims that the fact that they did not act to close the central station last year proves otherwise.
The saga surrounding the evacuation of Tel Aviv Central Station has been going on for several years, and last October, Minister of Transportation Michaeli announced that the station would be evacuated by the end of 2023. Less than two months later, on December 31, 2021, Michaeli and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai announced an agreement to evacuate the station. , But that the evacuation will only take place until 2026, three years later than Michaeli’s original announcement. It has since been revealed that the parties have not signed any binding agreement.
The activity of the central station is expected to move to Ben Zvi, which is located between south Tel Aviv and Holon. It is expected to end only in 2035.
Until then, the Ministry of Transportation wants to divert most of the Central Station’s activity to the nearby Panorama terminal, which borders the Neve Ofer and Kiryat Shalom neighborhoods, and to a smaller terminal on Harash Street near the Haganah train station. The Tel Aviv Municipality opposes the transfer of Central Station activity to Panorama as it is an “urban nature site”. The government, on the other hand, claims that there is no natural site there, and that Huldai opposes it for political reasons related to the upcoming local elections.
Following the uncertainty surrounding the date of the station’s evacuation, two petitions were filed against the Tel Aviv Municipality and the state. One petition was filed by Adam Teva VeDin who demanded that the Minister of Environmental Protection declare the Central Station area a pollution-hit area. The intention to promote a new national infrastructure plan Botal appeared in the state’s response to the petition filed last April in the Tel Aviv District Court by Shula Keshet – chairman of the Neve Sha’anan neighborhood local committee and director of the Ahoti movement, council members and activists at the station’s struggle headquarters In the petition, the various organizations demanded that the Tel Aviv Municipality and the government maintain the outline for the evacuation of the Central Station by 2023 or sign an alternative outline that would ensure the evacuation of the station by that date.
The Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality stated in response that “the municipality does not oppose the promotion of TTL that will allow the operation of the place as a temporary transportation terminal, similar to the Reading, Arlozorov terminals, etc.”