The two bores of the tunnels on the Acre-Carmiel railway under the Gilon mountain, have been joined as the teams from each direction met underground.

The first bore was holed through on April 12, followed by the second bore on April 23. The two bores are connected by 18 transverse tunnels.

The 4.6-kilometer tunnels were dug by a joint venture of Danya Cebus Ltd. and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which dug the Carmel Tunnels.

The Acre–Carmiel line will be one of the first two lines in Israel to be electrified, the other being the A1 direct link from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This project was relatively complex from the engineering aspect, due to the fact that in addition to the two main tunnels, an additional 18 connecting tunnels, located 250 meters apart, will be bored to provide easy access for emergency evacuation has been using the New Austrian Tunneling method (NATM), which involves the extensive use of explosives.

The Acre-Carmiel railway line includes a double railway track of 23 km and two passenger stations in Achihud and Carmiel. The overall cost of the project is estimated to total approximately 2.8 billion NIS, with the cost of the Gilon tunnels estimated to total one billion NIS. The project, which will be completed by the end of 2014, includes two new train stations, two bridges over two streams and elevation of an existing highway.

Gilon mountain is 380 meters high. Located on its southern slopes is the village of Magd. According to Mr Shay Baras, general manager of Israel Roads, which is responsible for building new lines, plans are being drawn up for an extension from Carmiel to Kiryat-Shemona in Upper Galilee. The extension will have a maximum speed of 160km/h.