A car collided with one of the trains as the new light rail rapid transit continues testing in Jerusalem. No injuries and only minor damage was reported. According to initial reports, the driver ran a red light and hit the train, the second such incident in the span of a week.
The light rail is intended to alleviate traffic congestion and cut down on pollution and noise. The trains won't be open to the public until August 2011. In the meantime, engineers are testing the rails along the once congested Jaffa Road.
A protest against the light rail took place last week with demonstrators complaining that project was too expensive and has eliminated many bus routes which have yet to be replaced until testing is complete.
It was Theodor Herzl in his 1902 book Altneuland, or Old New Land who predicted that one day Jerusalem would have a high tech intercity transportation system.