Israel Public Transport 2026: Before and After Major Infrastructure Changes
Israel's public transport has transformed dramatically from 2015 to 2026 with electric buses, new metro projects, and unified pricing reforms.
Israel's public transport system is undergoing its most ambitious transformation in decades, with electric buses replacing diesel fleets by the end of 2026, Jerusalem's light rail expanding into an interconnected network for the first time in 15 years, and Tel Aviv's $50 billion underground metro entering early construction phases scheduled for completion in 2037. Starting in 2026, every new urban bus purchased is electric, marking a complete pivot from the diesel-dependent infrastructure that defined Israeli cities until recently.
The Diesel-to-Electric Shift: What Changed on israel's Roads
Egged and the Transportation Ministry are shifting two more cities away from standard fuel buses to exhaust-free public transportation by the end of 2026, bringing the total of buses operated by the company in Israel to 900 electric buses, including 200 intercity buses. All 40 city buses in Eilat and 20 of Kiryat Shmona's buses will be replaced with electric buses by year's end, with the buses already purchased and on their way to Israel.
The Transportation and Environmental Protection ministries agreed several years ago that from 2026 onward, no new diesel-powered city buses would be purchased in Israel, though due to a shortage of charging stations, the ministry allowed occasional diesel purchases in 2026. Before 2024, diesel buses dominated urban routes across the country. Older Egged fleets emitted exhaust directly into crowded city centers, and there was no cohesive national policy mandating cleaner alternatives. By mid-2026, that era has ended.
Jerusalem's Network Comes Together After 15 Years
Jerusalem's Light Rail celebrated its largest-ever extension in August 2026, connecting the Malha neighborhood in the southern part of the capital to the city center with the new L3 route extending roughly 7 kilometers and including 13 stations as part of the second-ever line—dubbed the Green Line—which, when finished at the end of 2026, will expand northward toward Mount Scopus. The Red Line, the city's first light rail corridor, has operated for 15 years, with recent expansions creating a vital link between Neve Yaakov and Hadassah Ein Kerem, carrying 200,000 riders daily.
Before August 2026, Jerusalem had only one light rail line—the Red Line, opened in 2011—and commuters had no option to transfer between rail lines. Residents in southern neighborhoods like Malha faced long bus rides with unpredictable schedules. For the first time, Jerusalemites can transfer from one light rail line to another, and residents finally get to see what all that construction and noise has been about. The Green Line's L3 phase opened 10 years later than planned, whereas earlier projections had envisioned the entire line being fully completed by 2025.
Tel Aviv Metro: Ambition Meets Reality
The NTA Metropolitan Mass Transit System and the Transportation Ministry announced in late 2025 the opening of the pre-qualification stage for Israeli and international firms seeking to compete in the construction tenders, with the tenders themselves expected to open in late 2026, and the first phase includes the construction of about 78 kilometers of twin tunnels and 59 underground stations, forming the inner ring of the metro network's three planned lines. Preliminary construction work started in 2025, with public opening scheduled for 2037.
The companies must present plans for managing major engineering challenges—such as disposing of 40 million cubic meters of excavated earth, hiring 18,000 additional workers, building a dedicated power station, and developing seven multimodal transport hubs to link the metro with heavy rail and bus systems. Jerusalem's success with surface light rail contrasts with the far more complex and costly engineering of Tel Aviv's $50 billion heavy underground metro system, which remains years away from completion, with operations not projected before the early-to-mid 2030s.
Before 2025, Tel Aviv had no metro plans under active construction. The city relied entirely on buses, a single light rail line (the Red Line, opened in 2023), and a heavily congested road network. The metro was an aspiration discussed in government reports but never funded at this scale. By September 2026, construction tenders are in motion, and tunneling machinery is being procured for what will become one of the largest infrastructure projects in Israel's history.
Unified Pricing: The Derech Shava Reform Before and After
The pricing system is based on the
Further reading: Tel Aviv Apartment Prices September 2026: ₪60,000-₪65,000/sqm — Jewish Property Report.
Further reading: Be'er Sheva Property Prices 2026: ₪12,000-₪22,000/sqm Then vs Now — Jewish Property Report.
Further reading: Foreign Buyer Israel Property: The Registration Myth vs. Real Process 2026 — Jewish Property Report.
Further reading: Jerusalem Prices Surge 9.6% YoY: Diaspora Capital Flows While Tel Aviv Sinks 1.9% — Jewish Property Report.
Further reading: Israel Property Auction Guide: Regional Buyout Strategies by City — Jewish Property Report.
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Solly Marks is a Jewish news publisher covering Israel and the global Jewish community. JewishNewsNow delivers factual, pro-Israel journalism — breaking news, community updates, and analysis for the worldwide Jewish diaspora.