Crossrail bosses will advise Israeli officials on a new underground metro in Tel Aviv, it has been announced.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has today signed a memorandum of understanding with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv to formalise the partnership.

In a statement, Shapps hailed the "fantastic opportunity for our British engineers and advisors to share their ingenuity with Israel".

Engineers from Crossrail International, a company owned by the Department for Transport, will consult for the new $45 billion Tel Aviv metro.

The project will involve three separate light rail and metro lines, 90 miles of track, and 109 stations across 27 local authorities. It will serve three million passengers daily, and will be the largest transport project in Israel's short history.

According to the Department for Transport, Crossrail engineers will advise on design, safety and standards of the new rail lines, as well as on sustainability.

As part of his trip to Israel this week, Shapps has visited the building site of Tel Aviv’s new light rail line and met with Israeli Transport Minister and Labor leader Merav Michaeli.

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.” 

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.

"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."

In 2021, the UK imported £144m of transportation services from Israel alone, making it the third-biggest transport goods trading partner.