Barkat cancels meeting with light-rail constructors over dire conditions

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Tuesday abruptly canceled a meeting with the Israeli head of the international conglomerate that is carrying out construction of the city's repeatedly-delayed light rail system, the city said. The mayor's decision to nix his appointment with the Director-General of the City Pass Conglomerate Yair Naveh came after a tour Barkat took along the planned route of the light rail uncovered "disgraceful environmental neglect, dirt, waste and an array of safety and transportation problems," Barkat spokesman Evyatar Elad said Barkat, who has been a long time opponent of the project, has said he would examine the project's feasibility and would consider cheaper, more effective alternatives to the light rail system, including the use of environmental-friendly buses.