View of the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast train seen over the HaArazim valley just outside of Jerusalem, on Sept. 25, 2018. Photo: Yossi Zamir/Flash90.

CTech – On Saturday, the complete route of the Jerusalem express train officially opened to the public with a debut ride. The train departed from Jerusalem’s Yitzhak Navon station at 9:56 pm, arriving at Tel Aviv’s Hagana station at 10:28 pm.

The complete 57-kilometer ride became available over a year after the fully electric train was launched as a partial route that only got as far as Ben Gurion International Airport, 19 kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv. Until now, passengers had to transfer to another train there. The express train was first approved by the Israeli government in 2001 and was originally scheduled for completion by 2008.