Israel Railways: freight and passenger rail transport

In Israel, within the framework of the state policy, special attention is paid recently to the modernization of freight and rail transport.

Israeli railways serve as a rare example of reconstruction, when an almost forgotten and unused form of transport has become a major means of transportation, especially for passenger traffic.

What are the Israeli railways

The Israeli railways have a relatively small total length of about 750 km. They have a fairly extensive network that has covered all the cities of the country, connecting the center with remote corners of the country. Almost 50 stations and stations are equipped here. In Tel Aviv, 4 stations are built, and Haifa has 6 of them. Thanks to this, almost from any corner of the city you can get to the station.

On the railway lines of the country there are both freight trains and modern trains intended for the carriage of passengers. They consist of one-story and two-story wagons. Departure of passenger trains occurs 2-3 times per hour at peak time, and in off-peak - 1 time per hour. On the route from Nahariya to Haifa, Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport, trains run at night, stopping at the Haifa HaCarmel station of Haifa and Merkaz Tel Aviv. All other stations in these cities are closed after midnight.

History of construction

The Israeli railways have a long history. Their construction began when the country was ruled by Turkish and British authorities. The idea of building a railway track was first voiced by Moses Montefiore, a British Jewish financier. And in 1892 Israel became the year of construction of the railway. At that time, the first single-track branch with a length of 82 km was laid. It connected the city of Jaffa (now it is the district of Tel Aviv) and Jerusalem. This distance could be overcome in 4 hours. In Jerusalem, the railway line was opened in 1892. In the city of Jaffa, to this day, there is a station that was recently reconstructed, and the building was given for the museum and entertainment center.

The Turks, owning the Middle East, in 1900 developed a railroad construction project in Palestine. It was supposed to lie between Istanbul and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The project was developed under the leadership of the Turkish sultan Abdullah Hamid II, and German engineers were involved in the technical part. As a result, a line was built connecting Istanbul and Medina. But the British who came to power did not allow it to use the Turks. There was another attempt to build a railway between Palestine and Egypt, but it was not carried to the end.

The cities of Haifa and Beit She'an were connected by a branch in 1904, and in the following, in 1905, a line was built connecting Haifa and Damascus. The Turkish military railway line between Afula, Baer-Sheva and Sinai desert was opened in 1915.

After the country gained independence in 1950, a new branch of Haifa - Tel Aviv - Jerusalem was opened in Israel. And for the first time after a long war, regular rail service was established here. In 1954, a railway station opened in Tel Aviv. Between Baer-Sheva and Dimona in 1965, they built and opened a line to transport cargo.

Modern development

The railways of Israel continue to intensively develop and modernize. On the branch, opened in 1991 to Rehovot, an order was ordered for several new locomotives operating on diesel fuel. The Israeli lines in 1992 were replenished with modern IC3-Diesel compounds. Spain in 1997 sent to the country comfortable passenger cars. And in 1998, new diesel locomotives were obtained from Spain.

The Israeli railways are becoming more comfortable. Using their services, it became convenient to move around the country.

Israeli Railways Today

To date, almost 410 trains are used to transport passengers on nine railway lines every day. Each train consists of six cars, there are trains of 12 wagons. Trains on certain sections of the road can develop a speed of about 160 km / h. But at the same time there is no unnecessary noise, no sense of shaking.

Inside the cars there are seats on both sides, tables between them. Near each seat, you can see plastic bags for garbage. Each car is equipped with air conditioning with climate control and soft fluorescent lighting. Each structure has a toilet, you can see the map of the movement. As part of the traveling trade is a light snack, which includes water and sandwiches. Free Wi-Fi is available. All the way, each station name is accompanied by an audible and visual announcement.

Purchase of tickets and train timetable

The level of service in Israel corresponds to the European one, where every passenger is guaranteed a journey in comfortable conditions with pleasant service.

To purchase tickets, you can use automatic machines or buy them directly at the ticket office. And tickets are bought not for a specific trip, but from one point to another. Transplantation in the paid direction can be done unlimited number of times. Tickets look like a plastic card with a built-in magnetic stripe. They can be bought as one trip, and several, both in one direction, and in the opposite direction. Purchased one-time tickets can be used only during the day when the ticket is purchased, and reusable - for a month.

At the entrance and exit stations are equipped with turnstiles. Luggage is not paid separately. It can be moved independently or with the help of the attendant, using a special wicket.

It is almost impossible to travel free of charge in an Israeli train, as almost every staff has controllers, and fines for trying to get free of charge are quite high.

To find out the train timetable, you can go to the website of the railway station of Israel. Also here you can find out any changes made to the schedule.

Management Company

Today, the state company of the Israeli Railways, Rakevet Israel, is engaged in all passenger and freight traffic on the railway. It was organized in 2003 under the leadership of the Minister of Transport of the country.

Considering the area of the country and how its center and north are densely populated, it can be argued that the company "Israel Railways" is considered the leading operator in passenger and freight traffic. This type of transport is particularly in demand with the local population.

Passenger and freight trains run both in the suburbs and between the cities of the country. But the railroad is not connected with other states.

Especially popular are the tourist destinations, especially Ashkelon - Tel Aviv. This is the busiest route.

Freight transportation

The main means of transporting goods in Israel are freight trains. Using them, they transport solids - these are minerals found in the Negev desert and in the Dead Sea region. Also a significant place is occupied by container transportation. But the freight traffic compared to the passenger is small.

Shabbat holiday in the country

The most important holiday of Shabbat Jews in Israel is celebrated every week. It starts on Friday, in the evening, after sunset. It lasts until Saturday evening.

At this time, the entire transport stops working, and trains, unlike buses, stop walking for a couple of hours before. In the winter, this happens around 15:00, and in the summer - at 16-17 hours.

Advantages and disadvantages of railway transport

The railway communication of Israel, in particular passenger transportation, has a number of advantages. Compared to bus transport, trains move faster and strictly on schedule, as their movement is not affected by traffic jams, traffic lights, or speed limits that exist for cars. The tariff for a trip in a railway transport is higher than the cost of a trip on a bus. But the trip on the train will be more comfortable and safer.

One of the drawbacks is that trains make a small number of stops, and they are remote from the city center. Also, trains do not go to the northernmost parts of the country.