Israel Railways on Wednesday informed the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that its long-awaited fast train service between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv will be delayed for some six months because it still lacks certain necessary safety permits.

A recent assessment in cooperation with bodies such as the fire service revealed that some permits for the service, which is supposed to link the two cities in 30 minutes or less, have not been granted.

The announcement leaves Transportation Minister Israel Katz with egg on his face for having promised last month that the service would be up and running at the end of March, just before the Passover holiday when many Israelis travel around the country.

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“This Passover, we will make it possible for multitudes of Jews to travel to Jerusalem,” Katz said in January. Passover in 2018 begins on the evening of March 30.

An October 2017 report by the state comptroller was highly skeptical that the train would be operational by that date, warning that cutting corners to finish the project by April could lessen the quality of the work, compromise safety, and lead to an overall increase in the costs of the project.