Israel Railways Ltd. (, Rakevet Yisra'el) is the state-owned principal railway company responsible for all inter-city, commuter, and freight rail transport in Israel. Israel Railways network consists of 1138 km of track. All its lines are standard gauge but some were originally built to other gauges and later regauged. Electrification began in 2018 with the new line to Jerusalem and there are plans to electrify the entire network at 25 kV 50 Hz supplied via overhead line. The network is centered in Israel's densely populated coastal plain, from which lines radiate out in many directions. In 2018, Israel Railways carried 68 million passengers.
Unlike road vehicles and city trams, Israeli heavy rail trains run on the left hand tracks, matching neighboring Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, whose formerly connected rail networks were constructed by British engineers. Those lines that formerly crossed Israel's borders were severed during the 1948 Palestine war and there are no international train lines or services to or from Israel.
Until 1980, the company's head office was located at Haifa Center HaShmona railway station. Tzvi Tzafriri, the general manager of Israel Railways, decided to move the head office to Tel Aviv–Savidor Center railway station. In 2017, the company's head office was moved to a new campus built on the grounds of the Lod railway station.
Stations
There are 66 stations on the Israel Railways network, with almost all of the stations being accessible to disabled persons, with public announcement and passenger information systems, vending machines and parking.
Bicycle policy
Bicycles are permitted on trains in designated coaches.
Israel Railways encourages people to use bicycles by building a double-deck parking for bicycles in every railway station and by allowing people to take bicycles with them on trains to minimise the need for private cars.
Smoking
In Israel, smoking is prohibited in public enclosed places and in commercial areas. Although smoking in railway stations is allowed in designated areas, the sale of tobacco from automated vending machines is prohibited.
List of stations
Lines
Israel Railways currently operates 15 passenger service lines.[8] These can be broadly subdivided into inter-city lines, which connect two or more of Israel's major metropolitan centres (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba), usually skipping some of the intermediate stations, and commuter lines, centered on one metropolitan area and serving all stations on the line. However, Israel Railways no longer officially uses this classification.
Some services were partially or fully suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and electrification works.
Inter-city lines
Commuter lines
† Fully electrified line ‡ Line electrification in progress
Future
Electrification
Since the opening of the fully-electrified Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion Airport–Jerusalem railway line in 2018, work has been underway to electrify the passenger rail network with overhead 25 kV 50 Hz AC electrification. In 2024, Israel Railways estimated that work was 70% complete, with full electrification officially scheduled for 2027.[9]
Network expansion
Due to increasing demand, Israel Railways is pursuing expansion to its infrastructure network.
The 64 km long Eastern Railway, which will connect Hadera to Kfar Saba in parallel to the Coastal Railway, began construction in 2019 and is scheduled to open in 2027.[10] This line follows the disused route of the Ottoman-period Tulkarm–Lydda railroad, which was abandoned in 1968, and will allow freight and passenger trains to bypass the congested Hadera–Herzliya corridor.
Rolling stock
Israel Railways currently owns a total of 193 locomotives, 717 passenger cars, and 110 MU trainsets.
Current
Locomotives
Multiple Units
Carriages
Israel Railways owns a total of 717 passenger cars.
Locomotives
Multiple Units
Carriages
Israel Railways owns a total of 717 passenger cars.
Retired
Organizational structure
The company is headed by a chief executive officer. It has two subsidiaries: a real estate development company, and a freight rail company. The main organization has five operational departments: freight, infrastructure, rolling stock, passengers and development.[51]
In 2017, Israel Railways founded a Tunnels Unit that is responsible for the daily operation of railway tunnels, including lighting, air circulation, etc. and managing emergencies.[52]
Performance
The passenger number history (in millions) is as follows:
In contemporary shekels – not adjusted for inflation
Notable accidents
- On 26 December 1963 two passenger trains on the then single-track main line linking Tel Aviv and Haifa collided head-on at Bet Yehoshua just south of Netanya.[70] The northbound train had passed a red signal and its locomotive rode over and crushed the locomotive of the southbound train.[71] None of the coaches was derailed but a coupler broke in the northbound train detaching the rear three coaches.[72] The continuous train brake should have then automatically stopped the detached coaches but it had not been connected properly so they started to roll back southwards.[72] 55 people were injured but only three seriously enough to be detained in hospital.[72] The two head-end crews survived but their locomotives, EMD G12s 105 and 118, were destroyed.
See also
- Rail transport in Israel
- Hejaz Railway (1908-1920), Ottoman line which connected Damascus with Medina; the Jezreel Valley railway was a branch in its network
- Ottoman Palestine railways
- Eastern Railway, Ottoman WWI line, Tulkarm to Hadera and Tulkarm to Lydda; connected to Jezreel Valley, Jaffa–Jerusalem, and Beersheba lines
- Jaffa–Jerusalem railway (inaugurated 1892)
- Jezreel Valley railway (1905-1948), segment of the Haifa–Dera'a Line which connected the Hejaz Railway to the port of Haifa
- Railway to Beersheba or the 'Egyptian Branch', Ottoman WWI line headed towards the Suez Canal; two lines: (Lidda–) Wadi Surar (Nahal Soreq)–Beit Hanoun, and Wadi Surar–Beersheba
- Mandate Palestine & Israel railways
- Palestine Railways, government-owned company and rail monopolist in Mandate Palestine (1920-1948)
- Coastal railway line, main line in Mandate Palestine and Israel
Bibliography
External links
References
- Jeremaya Goldberg: Israel reports 9% passenger increase in International Railway Journal, 2016-03-30, retrieved 4 April 2016^
- Israel Railways – About Israel Railways retrieved 23 August 2016^
- רכבת ישראל - הודעות דוברות - 2015–2016^