The innovative Elizabeth line has inspired the partnership which will see new business opportunities with the possibility of new jobs made available for the UK rail industry following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.

The many benefits provided by the groundbreaking Elizabeth line will now be continued overseas via the Department for Transport‘s Crossrail International advisory company.

The impressive benefits which have followed since the Elizabeth lines opening have seen fares slashed by more than one-third for commuters travelling throughout London alongside a further benefit of hugely reduced travel times.

The vast project is anticipated to bring an estimated £42 billion to the UK economy and has already provided more than 55,000 jobs and 1,000 apprenticeships with a further benefit of increasing London’s rail capacity by 10%.

Further business opportunities are now hoped to be possible with Israel, which is the UK’s third largest transport goods trading partner. The agreement will see companies share their valuable expertise and will increase economic growth with the possibility of jobs being made.

July 2022 saw negotiations begin between the UK and Israel in a bid to add to the current trade deal, which at the moment is worth £5 billion, supporting 6,600 UK businesses. The agreements upgrade will develop a modern, revamped trading relationship with two superpowers of world services and will lead to better access to major public sector contracts for UK businesses, increasing opportunities for the service sector.

2021 Saw the UK import £144 million of transportation services from Israel, which demonstrates the excellent working relationship between the two nations.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps visited Israel this week and attended a building site for Tel Aviv’s brand new light rail line, meeting with Israeli Transport Minister Merav Michaeli.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

“Today’s partnership further ingrains our commitment to a global Britain, helping our world-leading rail industry to extend its expertise to friends overseas while unlocking fresh business opportunities to boost the UK economy.

“Following the successful launch of our iconic Elizabeth Line earlier this year, this memorandum is a fantastic opportunity for our British engineers and advisors to share their ingenuity with Israel as they undertake their largest ever rail project in Tel Aviv.

“It was a pleasure to visit the project site this week to see first-hand the ongoing work to build such a revolutionary transport hub which will help millions of passengers get from A to B quicker, easier and more sustainably.”

The Memorandum of Understanding comes as Israel moves forward with a multi-billion-pound mass transit project for Tel Aviv. The project will see the country’s biggest and most complex infrastructure ever and will be supported by the Department for Transport-owned Crossrail International which is a specialist advisory company providing expertise around the world when it comes to the delivery of complex rail-based projects. The vast project in Tel Aviv will include the building of three light rail and metro lines and will support a massive 27 local authorities with a predicted three million passengers every day.

The agreement will see both countries share their experiences and also best practices when it comes to large-scale transportation projects. An example of this would be when Crossrail Internations provided advice for Israel in areas such as design, safety and standards for train lines across the country. Sharing expertise will also establish that transport projects are carried out in as environmentally friendly and sustainable way as possible.

Chief Executive Officer of Crossrail International Paul Dyson said:

“Our aim is to share good practice, lessons learned and innovation to provide better outcomes and wider benefits for our respective societies.

“Crossrail International is extremely proud to be a partner of this MoU and to act as a conduit of UK knowledge, skills and expertise that will support the Israeli Ministry of Transport in the delivery of its transformational rail transit portfolio.”

British engineers will now have the opportunity to provide advice specific to Tel Aviv’s brand new metro line thanks to the memorandum, in turn boosting the UK economy.

Minister of Transport and Road Safety for Israel, Merav Michaeli, said:

“Transport is a national security issue. This is accepted and understood around the world, and I am happy to strengthen ties and enter into agreements with other countries that make Israel stronger.

“I would like to thank my colleague Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps for his visit to Israel and for the ground-breaking cooperation we have created together. I am confident that the know-how we have shared and the agreements we have signed will result in better transportation in both countries, and particularly greener shared transport that the world needs so much as we face the climate crisis. These steps contribute to strengthening the relations between Israel and the United Kingdom and are a cornerstone of our important bilateral ties. This is how we are moving Israeli transport several steps forward.”