Driving one's car to the Old City of Jerusalem has become increasingly less convenient over the years – but all that is now behind us.
The Municipality of Jerusalem has announced a new arrangement for visiting the Old City. Motorists can park near the old train station, hop on a shuttle to the Old City, tour the holy sites, and shuttle right back to their car – all for a flat daily rate of only 17 NIS. Jerusalem residents pay 20% less.
City traffic engineers are fighting a constant uphill battle against traffic congestion in Jerusalem, and many drivers insist that the congestion is winning. The new arrangement represents a major contribution to travel ease and fewer cars on the streets.
Motorists entering Jerusalem are directed by special blue, red and white signs – featuring a bus with wings – to the parking site. The site is located next to what is now known as the First Station, very close to the German Colony and Yemin Moshe neighborhoods. For many years it was Jerusalem's train station, having been built back in 1892. It was closed over a century later, left abandoned and neglected, and was renovated and developed last year as a center for restaurants, sporting activities, and other attractions.
The new arrangement will significantly cut down on travel time in the city – but passengers should keep in mind that until the original railway route to Jerusalem was built, travel time from Jaffa to the Holy City was a full ten hours! Even by train, the journey took three hours – four times longer than it takes today by car, and approximately six times longer than it will take via the new train system currently being built.
The shuttle leaves from the station every 20 minutes from 7 or 8 AM, depending on the day, until 8 PM. On Friday, the last shuttle leaves one hour before the onset of the Sabbath. The shuttles include stops in the Jewish Quarter, the Western Wall, Dung Gate, the City of David, and back to the First Station.
As of now, the shuttle service will run until July 2015.