Israel - General Information
Country Name
Israel (officially the State of Israel, Medīnat Yisrā'el: יִשְׂרָאֵל,)
National Railway System
Israel Railways (Rakevet Yisra'el: רַכֶּבֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל )
Official Website
Language
Israel has two official languages, Hebrew and Arabic. Hebrew is the primary language of the state and is spoken by the majority of the population.
Currency
New shekel (₪); symbol ILS.
UIC code
Numeric 95; alpha IL.
Timetable
Journey Planner
Downloadable Timetable
PDF timetable files for the whole country are available here. Although the web page is in Hebrew, the timetable files are in both English and Hebrew.
Printed Timetable
Printed timetable booklets are available for sale for the first few months after a timetable change.
Engineering Information
Changes in rail services, including those due to engineering works can be accessed from the Home Page.
Bus Information
Not known
Maps
Printed Maps
"World Rail Atlas Vol. 8 The Middle East and Caucasus" by Neil Robinson (ISBN-10: 954-12-0128-8; ISBN-13: 978-954-12-0128-2)
Web-based Maps
Thorsten Büker's Map of Israel
Ticketing
See the Israel Railways website
Gauge
Standard.
Electrification
At present there are no electrified lines in Israel. In the spring of 2010, the government agreed the first phase of a programme to electrify 420 km of route at 25 kV 50Hz AC.
Rule of the road
Left.
Other Railways
None.
Tourist Lines
None.
Metro
None.
Trams
Jerusalem (Light Rail). A network is planned for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
Recent and future changes
The Israel Railways Development Plan comprises a number of significant engineering projects:
- The Jerusalem High Speed Link Project, connecting Jerusalem to Tel Aviv by means of a new 38 km line branching off the Ben Gurion Airport-Modi‘in Line to an underground terminal in central Jerusalem.
- Doubling and upgrading Tel Aviv - Kefar Sava, Motzkin – Nahariyya and Lod – Na‘an – Be`er Sheva.
- Construction of a 19 km double track line from Rishon LeTsiyyon West to Bne Darom Junction, connecting with the Ashdod – Ashkelon Line.
- Construction of a 18 km double track line from Tel Aviv-HaHagana to Rishon LeTsiyyon West.
- Construction of a 60 km line, partly double track, from Ashkelon southwards to join the Lod – Na‘an – Be`er Sheva line.
- Sharon Line (Ra‘anana – Coastal Line): construction of a 12 km double track alignment branching off the coastal line to Kefar Sava.
There are plans to build a line south from the Dimona area to Eilat to enable freight to bypass the Suez Canal. Special Notes
Special Notes
Distances
Distances are available for some lines
Tel Aviv - Jerusalem
Tel Avivi HaHagana | 0 |
Kfar Habbad | 5 |
Lod | 15.3 |
Ramleh West | 17.8 |
Na'an | 26.8 |
Bet Shemesh | 46.3 |
Bar Giyyora | 59.5 |
Bittir | 72.1 |
Jerusalem Zoo | 78.5 |
Jerusalem Malha | 79.5 |
Jerusalem old Main Station (without traffic) | 83.0 |
Haifa - Lebanese Border
Haifa Mizrah | 0 |
Qishon | 5.4 |
Lev HaMifraz | 6.2 |
Hutzot HaMifraz | 7.4 |
Qiryat Haim | 8.0 |
Qiryat Motzkin | 9.0 |
Akko | 20.7 |
Bustan Ha-Galil | 23.0 |
Shavei Zion | 26.5 |
Nahariyya | 29.5 |
Bezet | 34.5 (no traffic) |
Lebanese Border about | 38.5 |
Haifa - Tel Aviv
Haifa Mizrah | 0 |
Haifa Merkaz | 1.5 |
Haifa Bat Galim | 2.8 |
Hof ha-Karmel | 7.1 |
Atlit | 20.5 |
Zikhron-Ya'aqov | 34.5 (closed) |
Binyamina | 40.8 |
Qesaryya Pardes-Hanna | 44.7 |
Hadera Maarav | 51.5 |
Kfar Vitkin | 58.0 (closed) |
Netanya | 65.6 |
Bet Yehoshu'a | 72.5 |
Herzliyya | 83.9 |
Tel Aviv University | 91.9 |
Tel Aviv Ha-Shalom | 94.1 |
Tel Aviv Yizhak Sadeh | 95.0 |
Tel Aviv Ha-Hagana | 96.2 |
Lod - Gaza Strip Border
Lod | 0 |
Be'er Ya'akov | 5.2 |
Rehovot | 9.5 |
Yavne | 16.9 |
Ashdod Ad-Halom | 29.8 |
Ashqelon | 44.4 |
Ge'a | 48 (closed) |
Shiqma Junction | 53 (to Rutenberg Power Station, 5 Km) |
Yad Mordechai | 56.7 |
Border to Gaza about | 62.4 |
Na'an - Har Zin
Na'an | 0 |
Qiryat Gat | 43.2 |
Be'er Sheva Tzafon | 73.0 |
Be'er Sheva Merkaz | 75.9 (on branch) |
Dimona | 109 |
Oron | 138.0 (freight only) |
Har Zin | 171.6 (freight only) |