Since the opening of the Tel Aviv Light Rail a few weeks ago, some people have been demanding the rail line operate on Shabbos. In protest of it not, on Friday afternoon they have been chaining themselves to the rail cars.

Ynet is reporting that at a municipal election speech in Kiryat Ekron, Regev threatened the protesters. Regev said that she has discussed the issue with the Chief of Police and come to the conclusion that if they chain themselves again to the cars on Friday, they will simply shut the train and drive them all to the depot Petach Tikva and leave them there.

Petach Tikva??? That is a massive threat!

Is Petach Tikva really that bad?

Rav Zilbershtein, rav of Ramat Elchonon neighborhood of Bnei Braq, was asked despite already having paskened years ago about a similar situation that it is public property and they do not have the pwoer via their chilul shabbos (or any other way) to cause property that is not theirs to become prohibited and therefore it is ok, but at the time Rav Zilbershtein had also suggested that is not necessary one shouldnt use it. So what about the Tel Aviv light rail - it was built on Shabbos with actual chilul shabbos. But there are many women, wives of avreichim, who work in the area and getting to work by bus can take up to an hour and a half in traffic while using the light rail would get them there in ten minutes. Is it appropriate to use the light rail or should they avoid it?

Rav Zilbershtein responded that it is allowed because it is a kiddush hashem because the government said it would not operate onS habbos. The government is giving respect to Shabbos, they are closing the line. The fact that they built it on Shabbos is not a strong factor as they cant prohibit what is not theirs, what is public property. Because they are saying it will be closed on Shabbos, so it can be used.

According to Kikar and Behadrei, Rav Fried paskened that traveling via the light rail is allowed, and one does not even need to wait any specific amount of time after Shabbos (ie bkdei sheyaasu), but the light rail should not be used immediately as a form of protest over the chilul shabbos.

While Kikar has more details with a variety of reasons why the rabbi allows it, Behadrei just brings briefly the main reason being that people cannot cause a prohibition on something that is not theirs, and because the workers do not own it or the public lands they worked on, they cannot cause it to be prohibited. Additionally, most of the work was done by non-Jews and did the work for a salary...

Regarding how much time to wait, Rav Fried quoted from Rav Sternbuch that people should wait a year before using it (I think Rav Sternbuch said this regarding the Jerusalem light rail when it opened), but in this case the opening was already delayed a year as it waited for the permits and approvals, so there is no need to wait any longer, but there should be some form of protest against the chilul shabbos, so it shouldnt be used immediately.

  -- Minister of Transportation Merav Michaeli, on her announced decision that the light rail in the Gush Dan region will operate on Shabbos.

Even a government with the Haredi parties wont cancel this decision because the people need it? Oh yes they will (if Netanyahu forms the next government and the Haredi parties are members).

In 2022 it shouldnt be too difficult to put this on an automatic system on Shabbos, maybe with non-Jews on the trains for support or emergency that would make it less problematic, but if there is no consideration of religious sensibilities, they will uproot it as soon as they take over.