"This is a day of celebration for the state of Israel," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the inauguration of the Dankal Red Line in the city of Petach Tikva in Israel on August 17.

　　The Red Line is a 24-kilometer, 34-stop light rail route, half of which runs through an underground tunnel.

　　The project is being built mainly by Chinese companies such as the China Railway Tunnel Group, China Railway Electrification Engineering Group and China Civil Engineering Construction.

　　"The Red Line is an important window to showcase China's infrastructure technology to the Israeli government and public," said Wu Lebin, general manager of the Red Line. The construction utilized the companies' expertise in tunneling shield machine excavation and overcame challenges to complete the project one year ahead of schedule.

　　The line began operation on August 18, with three trains departing from the Petach Tikva and Bat Yam stations.

　　The project is significant for Israel's social and economic development. According to official estimates, the Red Line will boost the percentage of public transportation commuters in Tel Aviv from 25 percent to 40 percent during peak hours, decrease commuting time by nearly 10 percent, and reduce the use of private cars by 12 percent, thereby easing traffic jams.