With the infrastructure nearly complete for the Jerusalem light rail system, the Knesset Finance Committee has given a green light for Citypass, its operator, to start the next stage for the much anticipated and much maligned project.

Construction of Jerusalem's light rail on Herzl Blvd., near Yad Sarah.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

In two months, capital residents will start seeing trains chugging along the tracks as the project enters its yearlong testing and commissioning phase, when all the rails and cars are to be meticulously examined, the operating controls worked out and the train's integration in city traffic perfected.

Earlier this week, Citypass sent transportation reporters to France to see how the trains operated in Paris and in the northwestern city of Angers, population nearly 160,000. The tour highlighted the need for increased municipal involvement and improved community outreach.

"The testing and commissioning phase is often the period that people find most frustrating," said Emmanuel Fargues, product line strategy director for Alstom, the train's French co-owner and the company in charge of supplying the cars and conducting the testing phase. "For them it's like seeing the promised land and not being allowed to enter."

Alstom, the world's second largest supplier of trams, has experience in light rail projects in 32 cities around the world and knows that the eight-to-12-month period it takes to complete the final stage before launching can be the most difficult.

Fargues said that people often don't understand that though the system appears to be in full working order with the tram running as it would in normal traffic, it is impossible to allow on passengers before all the systems are thoroughly tried and tested.

"With room for 250 people in each car and a tram passing every five minutes, we can't take any risk of things not working properly," said Fargues.

Parisians, like their Jerusalem counterparts, are currently suffering the congestion woes that accompany the construction of a new tram line. Paris is undergoing the construction of an extension to its existing T3 line that circumvents the southern part of the metropolis. Like Citypass in Jerusalem, Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP), the line's operator, knows that people are anxious to see the work completed.

"But it is important to note that what the residents get in return is not just a rail line, but a complete renovation of the parts of the city where the works take place," said RATP spokeswoman Joel Assimon.

One of the most important things to make sure of is an open line of communication between the line's operator and the public, he said.

"We knew that the works would cause problems for people and drive them to complain and we wanted to make sure that they had an address to direct their anger and frustration... To do so we created a team of public relations experts who offered answers to the public's questions and make available real time updates on the progress of the works," he said.

Assimon said the RATP also made sure to inform the residents that despite their current suffering, the tram would eventually lead to an improved quality of life, reducing noise and air pollution, reducing traffic congestion and providing an invigorated facade to the city.

Another initiative that the Paris operator undertook was putting in place a system of compensation for local businesses whose turnover was reduced because of the construction work.

According to RATP figures, of 360 affected businesses there were 246 requests for compensation. Of those requests, 169 were given payments and 77 were rejected. Only five businesses sued the company after being rejected.

This sort of awareness to the importance of public cooperation was also stressed during the tram project at Angers. There, the city set up a specially designed visitors center to provide immediate responses to any issues or concerns that residents have.

The visitors center features an exhibit outlining the project's goals and objectives, constantly updated information regarding the costs of construction and a timeline for completion. The center even features a life-size model of the train, so that people can familiarize themselves with all its features.

The Angers line, like that of Jerusalem, has experienced its share of setbacks and delays, including a ballooned budget, but, as opposed to the Jerusalem project, because it is a project paid for and operated by the local municipality there seems to have been less friction and tension.

In Jerusalem, the city has little or no responsibility for the success of the project and is thus far less interested in or accountable for its results. In Angers, the mayor and his staff are involved in every aspect of the project, from the color of the decals to the design of the bridge, and as a result a far greater impetus to see the project move forward smoothly.

In Angers, 1.5% of the €300 million project budget was dedicated to public relations and according to project manager Jacques Landreau, it was money well spent.

Aside from the visitor's center, the project employs five section liaisons who have offices along the line, and whose sole job is to provide outreach to businesses and the public.

"Throughout the years of construction, every section has someone they are familiar with who they can approach and know they will receive answers from. These people have their fingers on the pulse of their sections and can find fast solutions to any problems that arise. The project also maintains a Web site that is updated on a nearly daily basis, which provides information to journalists and residents, so they can see exactly how the construction is proceeding on a regular basis," Landreau said.

As is the case in Jerusalem, digging up the 2,000-year-old city of Angers uncovered a fair share of archaeological artifacts, including human remains, but Landreau explained that unlike in the Israeli capital, they didn't let the discoveries hold back construction for long.

"When we found an ancient tomb, we thought it belonged to a long deceased saint. We called in an archaeologist from the nearby university. He came by and determined it wasn't the person we thought it was, so he took photos and marked the spot and allowed us to proceed in the works. It didn't take more than three days," said Landreau.