The Rabbinical Transportation Committee is calling on all
parties involved in the matter to ensure that the Mehadrin
bus lines arranged for the chareidi sector are not cancelled
when the light-rail systems starts to operate in Jerusalem. A
delegation of neighborhood rabbonim visited the home of Maran
HaRav Eliashiv shlita to consult with him on the
matter. Maran praised their efforts, urging them "to act with
all of the means at their disposal to ensure that the
Mehadrin lines continue to operate in Jerusalem in accordance
with the present arrangement."
Two months ago the Rabbinical Transportation Committee issued
a warning about plans to halt the Mehadrin lines once the
light-rail trains start running, and the results of an
inquiry, including certain documents the committee obtained,
point to a genuine threat to their continued operation.
According to the inquiry the planners of the light-rail
system overlooked the chareidi sector's spiritual and
physical needs. The train lines pass through both secular and
chareidi neighborhoods, which makes it clear that separate
seating on the trains will be infeasible. Furthermore
traveling from city neighborhoods to the downtown area will
be via Rechov Yaffo alone, meaning the stops along this
street will draw flashy stores and other businesses that
create an unwholesome street atmosphere.
The routes will also inconvenience many families, which will
have to change buses to reach the central area.
With the use of the light-rail system, the plan is to cancel
all trunk bus lines along the route, and to have buses only
to feed-in the riders to the trains. This is supposed to
provide the swiftest and most efficient transportation, but
some way must be found to preserve the strictures of
tsnius according to the rabbonim.
Although they were aware of this problem the light-rail
planners decided to cancel the Mehadrin lines in order to
force chareidi passengers to use light rail, rather than
direct Mehadrin buses, which offer quicker, more convenient
service and greater tznius.
