The new Eastern Rail Line began partial operations on Sunday with the inauguration of three new stations, Israel Railways announced on its website.
The newly-opened section of the line, which Israel Railways entrusted to Netivei Israel, breaks off from the coastal railway north of Hadera, heading south along the eastern side of Israel’s coastal plain to Rosh HaAyin Station.
From there, the full length of the line, still under construction, continues south past Ben-Gurion Airport to Lod Station, where it rejoins the current Israel Railways network.
Upon completion, the fully operational 64-kilometer line will allow north-south passengers to bypass the busy Tel Aviv rail corridor, according ot the railway.
Meanwhile, passengers utilizing the line’s three new stations, which include Hadera East, Shomron – Tayyiba, and Kokhav Yair – Tira, can travel to the expanded Rosh HaAyin Station to catch an approximate seven-minute connection to Tel Aviv.
Including the connection time, the full trip from Hadera East to Tel Aviv takes one hour. Notably, service is not yet available north of Hadera East along the new line, meaning passengers must travel via Rosh HaAyin to reach Tel Aviv.
Alternatively, those traveling from the preexisting Hadera West Station can reach Tel Aviv in just over 30 minutes via the existing coastal railway.
New cities connected to rail network
However, those traveling from stations farther south along the new line will see significant time savings, since they have no historical connection to the railway network, whereas existing bus routes can take over an hour to reach Tel Aviv.
According to Israel Railways, the new line operates at a frequency of two trains per hour from Sunday to Thursday between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., with service set to be extended upon completion of the full line to Lod, which will involve the inauguration of the Shoham – Aviation and Elad stations.
While the line will initially be served by older diesel trains, it is currently undergoing electrification for service by newer electric rolling stock.
An increase in rail capacity
The fully operational Eastern Rail Line will increase the railway network’s capacity by approximately 30%, Israel Railways said, giving the system added flexibility to accommodate growing demand.
Israel Railways added that new bus lines are set to serve the newly inaugurated stations, which already have hundreds of available parking spaces and bicycle facilities.
The Eastern Rail Line is part of the Israel Railways “Connecting Israel” master plan for rail service spanning from Kiryat Shmona in the North to Eilat in the South.
