The Netanya Local Planning and Building committee has approved and deposited for objections plans for Israel's first skyTran pod cable car rapid personal transit system. The system will operate between the Sapir railway station in the Poleg Industrial Zone near Ikea, over Road 2 the coastal highway, to the Kiryat Nordau neighborhood, Globes reports.
The 600 meter line is being planned on behalf of the Ministry of Transport by architect Eden Bar and is designed to overcome traffic congestion and link-up Netanya's residential and industrial areas.
skyTran is a US startup which is collaborating with Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) Lahav's military pilots division. Each skyTran pod will have room for two people and will operate using magnetic levitation. Estimates are that development of the technology will be completed before the end of 2018 and it will be possible to move forward with regulatory matters and construction.
Netanya deputy mayor and chairman of the Local Planning and Building Committee said, "We have been dealing with this subject for almost four years. It seems like a dream. We dreamed that Ikea and Cellcom would be in Netanya and we love fulfilling dreams. skyTran is very unique based on NASA technology. The pods can reach a speed of 300 kilometers per hour."