Israel’s long-planned Tel Aviv Metro, a $40-50 billion 150-kilometer underground rail system spanning 24 municipalities, is moving from planning to civil stage execution. It is one of the largest soft ground urban tunnel programs now progressing globally.
The metro network program consists of three heavy rail lines (M1, M2 and M3) totaling about 150 km of mostly underground alignment and 109 stations in the Gush Dan metropolitan region, Israel’s economic core. Stage 1 is expected to last 78 km and 59 stations; Stage 2 totals 74 km and 50 stations. Initial operations are planned for 2037.
State-owned NTA—Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd. has opened prequalification for the “Infra #1” works, covering the major structural components of tunnels and undergrounds within Stage 1.
The documents did not disclose a fixed amount for Infra #1 and a request for clarification to NTA was not responded to by press time. Qualification submissions are due on April 29, according to the NTA announcement.
Engineering under Israel’s densest urban corridor
Gush Dan encompasses Tel Aviv and neighboring municipalities, including Ramat Gan, Petah Tikva, Holon, Bat Yam, Herzliya and Rishon LeZion, Israel’s most concentrated business and labor corridor.
According to the project documents, the metro will run mostly below grade in double tunnels. Metro stations are designed to be between 190 and 226 meters long and up to approximately 40 meters deep. Major segments will require sustained deep excavation beneath dense surface development.
While underground alignment limits permanent residential displacement compared to elevated alternatives, it intensifies subsurface complexity.
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Deep station boxes, vent shafts, and cross caverns will require staged excavation in restricted rights-of-way, often adjacent to active commercial properties and transportation corridors.
Integration still increases compound sequencing risk. The heavy metro is expected to connect with the red, green and purple light rail lines and Israel Railways commuter services through seven major hubs. Several alignments pass below or adjacent to operating transit assets, increasing instrumentation, settlement tolerance, and interface coordination requirements.
Geotechnical exhibition of the coastal plain
According to soil and alignment data, the subway crosses the stratigraphy of the coastal plain of Israel, characterized by predominantly loose to medium-density sands interspersed with clay lenses and kurkar, a type of cemented calcareous sandstone formation.
A geological cross-section of the M1 corridor illustrates predominantly loose sand and kurkar formations with clay layers located near the Ayalon and Yarkon river basins, conditions that will shape TBM settlement selection and control strategies.
Chart courtesy of the NTA – Metropolitan Mass Transit System
Groundwater levels are relatively lower in the western segments closer to the Mediterranean basin.
Loose granular soils increase the risk of face instability and require a close balance of earth pressure during TBM advancement. Variability between sand and clay intercalations results in differential settlement behavior, complicating predictive modeling and requiring continuous calibration of soil response.
Kurkar variabilities feature localized areas of higher strength material that can accelerate cutting head wear and introduce abrupt changes in torque demand, requiring adaptive tooling strategies.
The double-bore geometry sized for heavy metro operations strongly suggests that earth pressure balance TBMs can be used over much of the alignment, with slurry shields likely required when groundwater pressures and permeability increase. Israeli news daily Ynet reported that the Phase 1 tunneling program would use around 20 tunnelers, underscoring the scale of the simultaneous digging activity. Machine selection will depend on balancing face stability with groundwater control while minimizing surface settlement.
A map of Tel Aviv and surrounding municipalities in the Gush Dan region illustrates the dense urban network under which Israel’s 150 km metro network will be built. Image: Adobe Stock
The sensitivity of the settlements is amplified by the dense urban overburden. The alignments pass beneath pile-supported commercial towers, shallow utility corridors and, in certain sections, active light rail infrastructure. Under the revised performance specifications, contractors will likely need to incorporate real-time continuous monitoring arrays, strict movement thresholds, and offset grouting provisions to mitigate differential settlement.
Deep station excavations in saturated sands will likely require diaphragm walls or comparable slurry-supported retaining systems that extend below excavation base levels to control inflow and limit soil loss. Comprehensive waterproofing assemblies and careful dewatering strategies will be required to prevent aquifer inflow and adjacent structural impact.
Unlike hard-rock subway constructions, the engineering challenge in Tel Aviv is a sustained and precisely controlled tunnel beneath high-value urban construction, according to project documents.
At about 150 km and a projected cost of $49 billion, the Tel Aviv Metro falls into the same scale category as France’s Grand Paris Express, which ENR has previously reported deploying more than 20 TBMs on nearly 200 km of underground alignments.
While the Grand Paris traverses mixed geology, including chalk and limestone, Tel Aviv’s coastal sands and variable groundwater conditions place more emphasis on continuous face pressure management and long-range settlement control.
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Fiscal commitment and statutory authority
The feasibility of the project is based on both executive and legislative actions.
Government Decision 200, adopted in 2021, designated the subway as a national infrastructure priority and outlined a multi-year implementation framework with an estimated budget allocation of approximately $42 billion at that time. Subsequent state oversight reviews put the total projected cost at about $49 billion.
Separately, the Israeli Knesset enacted the Underground Railway (Metro) Law, centralizing permits, licenses and land acquisitions under national authority and incorporating value capture mechanisms, including an improvement fee on property raised around stations, according to a Finance Ministry press release on the approved regulations.
The Subway Act also establishes the structure for the collection of a dedicated “subway tax” on increased land values to help fund construction.
The metro is structured as a publicly funded national program rather than a concession. The state retains responsibility for financing, reducing exposure to price box volatility and private equity risk. With rights authority consolidated and fiscal support established, the prime contractor’s exposure shifts to engineering execution and schedule discipline.
The pivot of recruitment
A phase diagram describes the two-phase delivery of the Tel Aviv Metro, showing the 78 km and 59 stations of Stage 1 across the M1, M2 and M3 lines, followed by a 74 km Stage 2 expansion.
Chart courtesy of the NTA – Metropolitan Mass Transit System
In media coverage of the launch, Transport Minister Miri Regev called the start of prequalification a “historic moment for the State of Israel” and described the metro as “a huge challenge and a great opportunity for renewal and investment”. Similarly, NTA President Yodfat Afek Arazi said the metro will “transform Israel’s future” and requires “full cooperation between ministries, local authorities and the public,” according to media reports.
The delivery is divided into Advanced Works, Infra #1 and Infra #2 packages. Advanced works include enabling and relocation of utilities activities, while Infra packages cover excavation of primary tunnels and underground civil structures. Tenders for Infra #1 are scheduled to be issued later in 2026, with Infra #2 to follow in 2027, according to NTA materials.
The 78 km footprint of Stage 1 involves multiple tunnel runs and simultaneous station excavations running along separate corridors, including the M1 north-south spine towards Herzliya and Rishon LeZion, the M2 east-west trunk through central Tel Aviv, and the M3 semi-circular alignment linking the eastern and southern municipalities.
For global tunnelers and heavy civil contractors, Infra #1 represents a long-term opportunity where rights risk is comparatively contained, while geotechnical accuracy, groundwater management and interface coordination will determine performance.
