Preparatory work for construction of a 55 mile railway spur between Rehovoth and Beersheba, the main transportation and industrial hub of Israel’s southern desert region, has been completed, a Ministry of Communications spokesman announced here tonight.
He said blueprints for the entire job have been drafted and a survey of the exact route of the line has been completed. Two thousand pounds has already been allocated for the project, which is expected to take a year to finish.
The rails and a considerable part of the heavy equipment needed for the project will come from Germany, in the form of reparations payments, he disclosed. The Ministry has already placed orders for 25 special cars capable of handling 50 tons of freight. They will form the nucleus of a rail unit to haul minerals from the Negev mines to the industries and ports of the Jewish State.
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