Offering passengers free rides since August 19th until the end of this week the Jerusalem Light Rail Transit System has served almost half a million passengers in its first week. Jerusalem, Israel. 28/08/2011.

Offering passengers free rides since August 19th until the end of this week the Jerusalem Light Rail Transit System (LRT) has served almost half a million passengers in its first week. The ride is slow - traffic lights with tram priority have yet to be installed. The cars are overcrowded but probably only because a tram ride remains one of the last, free, summer-vacation, activities in Jerusalem. But in spite of the shortcomings there's a certain excitement among passengers - a feeling of being in London, Paris, or New York, something far and exotic - magic in the air!

And they talk about it. Complete strangers smile to each other and comment about the air-conditioning, the names of the stations and what type of training the drivers' require. One man even reprimands a teenager for putting his feet on the opposite seat. It's his new tram, after all! Something he's been waiting for for years since construction began! A tram he has been watching riding empty tests since January! A tram that was supposed to be commercial by April! It's finally here! He doesn't want any teenager spoiling it!