Israel Railways

Israel Railways is the principal heavy-rail operator in Israel and the country's state-owned provider of intercity, commuter, and freight railway services. The company operates a nationwide standard-gauge network centered on the densely populated coastal plain, with routes radiating toward Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba, Modi'in, Ashkelon, Karmiel, and the northern and southern regions. Its network includes approximately 1,138 kilometers of track and 66 stations, making it a central component of Israel's public-transport system. The present company emerged as a government-owned corporate railway operator in the 1990s, following the reorganization of the state railway structure. Its institutional predecessors include railways operated under the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate, and the early State of Israel. Several historical routes were inherited from wider regional systems, but cross-border rail links were severed during and after the 1948 war. As of 2024, Israel Railways has no international passenger or freight train services connecting it directly with neighboring countries. Israel Railways serves both daily commuters and longer-distance travelers. Services connect the principal metropolitan areas of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba, while regional routes provide access to smaller cities and employment centers. The network also supports freight traffic, including bulk and industrial movements, and the company maintains separate organizational responsibilities for passenger services, freight, infrastructure, rolling stock, and network development. A real-estate subsidiary and a freight-rail subsidiary form part of the wider corporate structure. A major strategic transformation has been the move from diesel traction toward electric railway operation. Electrification began in 2018 with the opening of the Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion Airport–Jerusalem route, which uses 25 kV, 50 Hz alternating-current overhead equipment. Israel Railways has continued electrification across the passenger network, alongside station modernization, capacity expansion, tunnel-management capabilities, and major infrastructure projects intended to relieve bottlenecks around Tel Aviv. In 2024, the company estimated that electrification work was approximately 72 percent complete, with full network electrification officially scheduled for July 2027. Passenger growth and network expansion have made capacity a continuing priority. Projects include the Eastern Railway, intended to provide an alternative north-south corridor between Hadera, Kfar Saba, Rosh HaAyin, and Lod; the Rishon LeZion–Modi'in link; and expansion of the Ayalon corridor through Tel Aviv. Additional proposals have concerned extensions toward Kiryat Shemona, Tiberias, Jordanian connections, and Arad, although these projects have varying levels of approval and no uniform delivery timetable. The company carried approximately 68 million passengers in 2018. Its fleet includes locomotives, passenger coaches, and multiple-unit trainsets. Israel Railways also promotes multimodal travel by permitting bicycles in designated train coaches and providing bicycle parking at stations. Most stations are designed to support passengers with disabilities and provide passenger-information systems, parking, and ticket-vending facilities. Smoking is restricted to designated areas in accordance with Israeli law. Israel Railways' public profile has also been shaped by serious safety incidents, including level-crossing collisions, train crashes, fires, and worker fatalities. These events have influenced public discussion of railway safety and operating procedures, but they are treated here as operational incidents rather than allegations of corporate scandal. Despite interruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, infrastructure works, and security conditions, Israel Railways remains the backbone of Israel's national heavy-rail system.

Rail transport in the territory that is now Israel has a long pre-state history. Ottoman-era railways connected the region with broader Middle Eastern routes, including the Hejaz Railway system and branches serving the Jezreel Valley and the southern approaches toward Egypt. The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway, opened in 1892, was another important early line. Under the British Mandate, Palestine Railways operated a government railway system that linked ports, population centers, agricultural areas, and military facilities. Much of the later Israeli network developed from these historical corridors, although alignments, gauges, and operating priorities changed over time. The 1948 war severed the former international railway connections crossing the region. The new State of Israel inherited a fragmented railway system and concentrated on rebuilding and operating domestic routes. Some lines originally constructed to gauges other than standard gauge were subsequently converted. For many decades the railway remained less prominent than road transport, with limited investment compared with the rapid growth of Israel's cities and highways. The coastal corridor gradually became the system's operational center because it links the country's largest concentration of population and employment. Israel Railways was established as a state-owned company during the 1990s reorganization of the national railway framework. The corporate structure separated railway operations from earlier government transport arrangements and created a dedicated organization for passenger, freight, infrastructure, rolling stock, and development functions. Until 1980, the head office was at Haifa Center HaShmona station. It later moved to Tel Aviv–Savidor Center station and, in 2017, to a new campus at Lod railway station. From the late twentieth century onward, Israel Railways expanded service frequency, reopened or upgraded routes, and developed new stations. Passenger demand increased as congestion worsened on the road network and as rail became more attractive for commuting between the major metropolitan areas. The reconstructed Jezreel Valley railway between Haifa and Beit She'an was completed in 2016, while the line to Karmiel was completed in 2017. These projects extended the reach of the network beyond its traditional coastal core. The most important technical turning point in the modern period was the adoption of electric traction. Construction of the Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion Airport–Jerusalem railway included overhead electrification, and the route opened in 2018 as the first fully electrified passenger railway in the system. Israel Railways subsequently pursued a network-wide program using 25 kV, 50 Hz alternating current supplied through overhead lines. Electrification is intended to improve acceleration, journey times, operating efficiency, service frequency, and environmental performance. In 2024, the company stated that the program was about 72 percent complete and that full electrification was targeted for July 2027. Capacity expansion has proceeded in parallel. The Eastern Railway is intended to create a second north-south path between Hadera and Lod through the eastern part of the central region, reducing dependence on the congested coastal corridor. The Rishon LeZion–Modi'in project is intended to create an east-west connection south of Tel Aviv. Work to expand the Ayalon Railway between Tel Aviv Center and Tel Aviv HaHagana addresses one of the network's most consequential bottlenecks. Proposals have also considered extensions toward Kiryat Shemona, Tiberias, Arad, and possible future freight links to Jordan, but these proposals do not all have confirmed construction schedules. Israel Railways operates intercity and metropolitan services, although it no longer consistently uses those categories as formal operating divisions. Its 66 stations generally provide accessibility features, passenger information, vending, and parking. The company supports bicycle-and-rail travel through designated bicycle coaches and bicycle parking. It also operates freight services and maintains a large fleet of locomotives, passenger coaches, and multiple-unit trains. Serious collisions and fires over the decades have generated continuing attention to level-crossing protection, signaling, rolling-stock safety, and operating discipline. Nevertheless, the company remains Israel's principal national heavy-rail provider and a major instrument of the country's transport and infrastructure policy.

1. 2019Major central-network expansion projects begin

   Construction begins on the Eastern Railway, the Rishon LeZion–Modi'in connection, and capacity works on the Ayalon corridor.

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2. 2018First fully electrified passenger route opens

   The Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion Airport–Jerusalem route enters service with 25 kV overhead electrification.

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3. 2017Karmiel railway line completed

   The 23.5-kilometer line serving the Karmiel area is completed, extending the northern network.

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4. 2017Headquarters move to Lod

   Israel Railways relocates its headquarters to a new campus at Lod railway station.

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5. 2016Jezreel Valley railway reconstruction completed

   A rebuilt railway between Haifa and Beit She'an restores service toward Israel's northeastern region.

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6. 1994Israel Railways is established as a state-owned company

   The modern corporate railway operator is formed during the reorganization of Israel's national railway system.

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7. 1892Jaffa–Jerusalem railway opens

   The historic railway linking Jaffa and Jerusalem begins operation, forming part of the pre-state rail heritage from which later Israeli routes developed.

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8. Target for full network electrification

   Israel Railways' official schedule targets completion of the passenger-network electrification program in July 2027.

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A state-owned national rail operator positioned as a backbone of Israel's public transportation system, combining metropolitan commuting, intercity mobility, freight logistics, and long-term electrification and network expansion.

• Intercity passenger railPassenger rail

  Intercity services connect Israel's principal metropolitan areas, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba, with selected intermediate destinations. These routes form the national backbone of heavy-rail passenger transport and include both diesel and increasingly electric operations as network electrification progresses.

• Commuter passenger railPassenger rail

  Commuter-oriented services serve the densely populated central region and other metropolitan areas, stopping at a larger number of stations than longer-distance services. They are designed primarily for daily travel between residential areas, employment centers, airports, and major interchange stations.

• Rail freightFreight rail

  Israel Railways provides freight transportation for industrial and bulk cargo. Freight operations use the national rail infrastructure and are managed through a dedicated freight organization within the wider Israel Railways structure.

• Electrified railway servicesRailway technology and operations2018

  Electrified services use 25 kV, 50 Hz alternating-current overhead equipment. The Tel Aviv–Jerusalem route was the first fully electrified passenger line, and the technology is being extended across the network to support higher capacity and more efficient operations.

• 2019Expand central and eastern network capacityStrategy

  The coastal and Ayalon corridors were becoming critical capacity constraints as passenger demand and train frequencies increased.

  What changed. Construction began on the Eastern Railway, the Rishon LeZion–Modi'in railway, and works to expand the Ayalon corridor between Tel Aviv Center and Tel Aviv HaHagana.

  Aftermath. The projects are intended to provide alternative routes, improve east-west connectivity, and substantially increase capacity through central Tel Aviv.

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• 2018Adopt network-wide railway electrificationStrategy

  Israel Railways sought to increase capacity and modernize operations as passenger demand grew and the diesel-based network faced performance and congestion constraints.

  What changed. The company began expanding 25 kV, 50 Hz overhead electrification after opening the electrified Tel Aviv–Jerusalem route.

  Aftermath. Electrification continued across the passenger network, with the company reporting approximately 72 percent completion in 2024 and an official full-completion target of July 2027.

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• 2024Israel Railways reports continued network electrification

  Israel Railways reported that electrification work was approximately 72 percent complete and retained July 2027 as the official target for full electrification of the passenger network.

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• 2018Israel Railways opens the electrified Tel Aviv–Jerusalem route

  The new railway linking Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, and Jerusalem became the first fully electrified passenger route in the Israel Railways network and established the technical model for broader electrification.

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• 2018Israel Railways records approximately 68 million passengers

  The operator carried approximately 68 million passengers during 2018, demonstrating the scale of demand for national rail services before later disruptions and service changes.

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• 2017Israel Railways moves its headquarters to Lod

  The company transferred its head office to a purpose-built campus on the grounds of Lod railway station, consolidating its administrative presence near a major operational hub.

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• 2011Two trains collide near Netanya

  Two trains collided head-on near Netanya, injuring 59 people.

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• 2010Kiryat Gat level-crossing collision

  A train struck a minibus near Kiryat Gat, killing seven people and injuring six.

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• 2010Train fire near Yakum

  A fire, reportedly associated with an electrical short circuit, broke out on a train near Kibbutz Yakum and injured 116 people.

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• 2006Beit Yehoshua train and truck collision

  A train collided with a truck near Beit Yehoshua, causing five deaths and dozens of injuries.

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• 2005Revadim train and truck collision

  An Israel Railways IC3 train collided with a freight truck near Kibbutz Revadim, killing eight people and injuring approximately 198.

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• 1985HaBonim railway crossing disaster

  A train collided with a school bus near HaBonim, killing 19 children and three adults. The tragedy remains one of the most significant railway-crossing disasters associated with the Israeli rail system.

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1. Israel Railways