At a press conference Monday, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said that a complete reform of the Israeli train system was necessary. Katz said that train passengers were “being held hostage” by unions that imposed endless strikes on them in order to achieve labor goals, and that he intended to put a stop to it.
Katz said he intended to break Israel Railways into three separate companies which would handle various aspects of train work. Katz said that he was prepared to close Israel Railways down altogether if necessary to ensure that the changes are made.