Israel Railways Eastern Line Opens

On Sunday, June 28, passenger traffic began on the first section of the new eastern line of the Israel Railways. Three new stations have been opened: Hadera (east), Shomron Taibe and Tira Kokhav Yair. They are connected to the modernized Rosh HaAyin station (north), where passengers will be able to change trains towards Tel Aviv and other parts of the country.

Initially, the line will operate from Sunday to Thursday from approximately 06:00 to 21:00, with a frequency of two trains per hour in each direction. Travel time from Hadera to Rosh HaAyin will be about 32 minutes, from Shomron Taibe – 18 minutes, from Tire Kokhav Yair – 11 minutes. Taking into account the transfer at Rosh HaAin, the journey to Tel Aviv will take approximately 60, 46 and 39 minutes, respectively.

The eastern railway line project is considered one of the key infrastructure projects of Israel’s transport system. It would ease congestion along the coastal rail corridor and highways, improve connectivity between areas of residence, employment and trade, and increase access to public transport for residents of eastern Sharon, Samaria and the region’s Arab communities.

In the future, after the completion of engineering works and electrification, the line will be extended to Elad, Shoham and Lod stations, allowing continuous travel to the south without the need for transfers along the way.

The Ministry of Transport claims that the new line will allow traffic from north to south without passing through the bottleneck of Tel Aviv’s congested tracks. The ministry estimates that “the project is expected to increase the supply of travel on the national rail network by approximately 30%.”

Along with the launch of the line, operating hours on Fridays and Saturday evenings will be extended on many railway lines from the north to the south of the country. The move ends a period of reduced operating hours and partial closures required to carry out complex infrastructure work on the Eastern Line.

Friday service will be extended until approximately 16:00, and on Saturday evening trains will operate until 1:00 am. The extension of operating hours will affect dozens of stations, including Nahariya, Karmiel, Netanya, Beit Shemesh and Beersheba, some of which suffered disruptions or reduced operating hours due to the work.