WATCH: Tel Aviv light rail construction impacts status quo

Watch as the upcoming Tel Aviv light rail has riveting effects on the people of Tel Aviv and the surrounding metropolitan area.

By YOCHEVED LAUREN LAUFER
Tel Aviv light rail impacts status quo. (Yocheved Laufer)
A sample car of the future Tel Aviv light rail is on display in the center of Tel Aviv, while construction for the transport system set to connect Tel Aviv to its surrounding cities, is estimated to be finalized for operation in 2020.
At a length of 24 kilometers long, the Red Line will run from Petah Tikva to Rishon Lezion, expected to serve an annual rate of 70 million passengers.
The display is open for the public until after the Sukkot holiday and NTA, the transport company responsible for the Tel Aviv light rail, is asking for viewers input in the train's appearance and features.
The construction for the light rail started in February 2016 and has affected commuters and store owners throughout the city, leaving Hummus Rachmu as the only open shop on its  block.
While Sharon Volfer, the VP for Resources at NTA, claims that the company offered shopkeepers on the lines of the construction benefits such as free public relations, Rachamim Arviv, the owner of Hummus Rachmu, says that he was offered no such help.
Rachamim also said that he has been in business for 55 years, and had to pay NIS 15,000 out of his own pocket for the last eight months due to the lack of business caused by the train construction.