NTA Says Driverless Metro Could Save NIS 150 Million Annually

NTA says driverless operation planned for the Gush Dan metro could eliminate the need for roughly 1,000 drivers and save about NIS 150 million a year. The agency opened qualification for NIS 30 billion in Infra II contracts covering trains, signaling, power, integration, operation and maintenance across three lines and 109 underground stations. Fully automated trains are planned as often as every 90 seconds at peak periods, and each bidding consortium must include an Israeli cybersecurity firm. An NTA source said automation would make weekend service technically possible, but any such operation would require security and operations staff and a future political decision.