A controversial plan to build a cable car transport system to the Old City of Jerusalem has passed a major hurdle after receiving a green light from a special committee headed by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon.
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The National Infrastructure Committee had earlier rejected a battery of petitions against the proposed system and gave a green light the contentious project.
The proposed route originates at a renovated train station that used to serve the city but now serves as a commercial and entertainment complex. After boarding the cable car, visitors would travel past several verdant valleys and the old city's iconic walls.
Each car is expected to have room for 10 people, with the journey spanning about 4 minutes in each direction.
The estimated $55-million project, which is being advanced by the Tourism Ministry, is expected to serve many tourists and worshippers who may want to visit the Western Wall and other parts of the old city.
According to official estimates, some 135,000 people visit the Old City of Jerusalem and its environs every week, and 24,000 of them are foreigners.
