After repeated delays due to archaeological discoveries and technical issues, service began, initially free of charge, on August 19, 2011.

Extensions to the red line are currently under construction to the Israeli settlement of Neve Yaakov and to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital to the southwest.

US $1.1 billion),[6][7] the project was criticized for budget overruns, for its route serving Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and for contributing to air and noise pollution during construction.

Construction tenders, including those for the red line extension, were awarded in August 2019 to TransJerusalem J-Net Ltd., owned by CAF and Shapir Engineering.

[10][11] In ancient times, Jerusalem was a point on the Ridge Route, also known as the Way of the Patriarchs, centrally located between the Via Maris (along the coast to the west) and the King's Highway (east of the River Jordan).

It was built by Rail Builders Company 272 of the British Royal Engineers, commanded by Colonel Jordan Bell, with some 850 Egyptian and local Arab laborers, about half of them women.

[18][19] In the 1990s, a light rail system was proposed as a means of providing faster and less polluting public transit through the heart of the city, and reversing the decline of certain central areas.

[3] CityPass consists of financiers Harel (20%), Polar Investments (17.5%) and the Israel Infrastructure Fund (10%), constructors Ashtrom (27.5%) and engineers Alstom (20%), plus service operators – Connex (5%).

[6] Dubbed the "Red Line", it initially has 23 stations on a new 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) twin-track 13.8 kilometres (8.6 mi) alignment.

As a result, travel time for the full route began at 80 minutes instead of the planned 42, until final synchronization of the lights is completed.

[26] When the light rail started operating on Friday, August 19, 2011, there were also air conditioning issues and electrical and communications problems,[25] one of them making trains suddenly "disappear" and then "reappear" on the screens of the control center near the settlement of French Hill.

The species selected were deemed suitable to the Jerusalem climate, hardy enough to withstand the city's cold winters while providing shade in summer.

The Jerusalem Municipality has plans to build eight bus rapid transit (BRT) and light rail lines across the city.

[32] Extensions of the red line are under construction in both directions: to the settlement of Neve Yaakov in the North and to Kiryat Menachem in the South.

Initial extensions to the Red Line were planned to the settlement of Neve Yaakov in Northeastern Jerusalem and the neighborhood of Ein Karem (near Hadassah Hospital) in the Southwest.

The extension to Hadassah Hospital from Mount Herzl is particularly challenging and will involve a complex path with complicated bridging works.

[36] The 23 km (14 mi) Blue Line will run from the Ramot district in the northwest, through the city centre up to Talpiot and Gilo, with branches to Malkha and Mount Scopus.

[37] The 19.6 km (12.2 mi) Green Line will link the two campuses of the Hebrew University and continue south via Pat junction to the settlement of Gilo.

[40] Initial rolling stock consists of 46 Citadis 302 100% low-floor five-module units manufactured at Alstom's Aytré factory.

The route and vehicles are monitored from the control center, and trams are driven under line-of-sight principles with built-in priority at many road intersections.

[46] Israeli soldiers travel for free, under a special agreement between the Defense Ministry and the railway's operator,[47] as do uniformed police officers.

[52] In 2012 Haviv Rettig Gur criticized CityPass for automatically expiring single ride tickets at the end of the day they were purchased even if they were never used.

"[54] Therefore, even if a passenger was traveling within the 90 minutes allowed for free transfers an inspector using CityPass equipment to read the Rav Kav would erroneously believe the fare was not paid and issue a fine.

[58] In March 2009, he proposed canceling the project after the first two lines were completed and replacing the rest of the planned rail network with buses.

[60] The project was criticized because the Red Line route passes through territories Israel has held under occupation since the Six-Day War to service Israeli settlements such as French Hill and Pisgat Ze'ev.

[69] Veolia decided to sell its interests in the light railway, first to Dan Bus Company in 2009, and later to Egged, as part of a strategy to exit the transportation market.

[70] In a 2009 report, the United Nations Human Rights Council described the Jerusalem Light Rail as infrastructure servicing Israeli settlements.

[71] The following year, the Human Rights Council condemned the decision to operate a tramway between west Jerusalem and Pisgat Ze'ev "in violation of international law" and relevant United Nations resolutions.

[72] In the United Kingdom, an Early Day Motion was tabled in parliament in 2012 against the financing of illegal activity in the West Bank.

The settlement was described as a "sophisticated community impeccably planned by the Roman authorities, with orderly rows of houses and two fine public bathhouses to the north".