Inter-city lines to Nahariya and Karmiel via Haifa
30-550: Inter-city and suburban lines to Beersheba Lod railway station is an Israel Railways station in Lod , Israel , served by most railway lines of Israel Railways . The station is located in the HaRakevet district of south Lod. In December 2006, Lod Station served a daily average of 7,786 passengers. Lod station is the 11th most used station of Israel Railways and is home to a major railway depot. It traces its history as such to
60-621: A Magen David Adom station. In the late 2010s, the passenger station was rebuilt again, and the new station building, around 500 m northeast from the 1910s-era passenger station, opened on 29 November 2020. The new station complex, around 6000 m in area, is the third biggest in Israel after Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon and Modi'in Central . It is located next to the new Israel Railways headquarters building, relocated from Tel Aviv Savidor Central railway station in 2017. In 2021, Lod central bus station
90-528: A 1968 mural by Leah Majaro-Mintz [ he ] , which was originally displayed in the Jerusalem-Khan railway station was added to the waiting room. Bus routes that stop outside the station are: Kavim lines 11, 150, 152, 239 and 461, and Egged line 249. Beersheba (Center) railway station Be'er Sheva–Center railway station is an Israel Railways terminal in Beersheba . It
120-562: A significant increase in the number of train passengers to and from Beersheba. In September 2015 a connection between the Railway to Beersheba and the Ashkelon–Beersheba railway was opened using a flying junction at Goral Junction north of Beersheba. The section of railway between Goral and Be'er Sheva North Railway Station is designed to be triple-tracked in the future. There are currently three Israel Railways passenger lines using
150-399: A total of four tracks. Construction works are expected to be completed in 2022 that will convert the eastern side platform to an island platform which will serve a fifth track at the station. The works will also add an additional public entrance to the station from the southeast. Space also exists to add an additional passenger platform on the western side of the station in the future. As of
180-496: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about an Israeli building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about transport in Israel is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Railway to Beersheba The Railway to Beersheba ( Hebrew : מסילת הרכבת לבאר שבע , Mesilat HaRakevet LiV'er Sheva ) is a railroad line that runs from central Israel to
210-482: Is expected to be relocated near the new railway station, forming a combined passenger station complex. The sprawling site also houses a large rail yard and extensive rolling stock maintenance facilities. In late 2021, Lod station's electronic signage was upgraded to display information in Arabic, in addition to Hebrew and English. In 2024, the old station was restored to its Mandate-era condition, with one exception:
240-537: Is located on Yitzhak Ben-Zvi street next to the city's central bus station and HaNegev Mall. It is one of two railway stations serving the city, the other being Be'er Sheva–North , located near the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev . The station building is located in the north end of the platforms. As of 2021, the station consists of three platforms (two side platforms and an island platform) serving
270-676: The Coastal Railway did not exist, neither did westbound spurs from the Eastern Railway and therefore all traffic from the north of the country bound for Tel Aviv and Jaffa had to first proceed southwards to Lod, then reroute northwest through the station. The station's location was changed following World War I , when the British rebuilt the Jaffa–Jerusalem line to standard gauge . The original station building serves as
300-500: The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway about 6 km north of the former Wadi Surar junction, then continues roughly along the old route to Kiryat Gat , then continues on a new route directly south, and approaches Beersheba from the north, whereas the old Turkish route made a lengthy detour to the southwest, and approached Beersheba from the northwest. The new line was completed in 1956, and passenger service started on September 29. Construction on
330-817: The Ottoman rule in Palestine and the Sinai and Palestine military campaign of World War I . The main Turkish objective in the Middle East during World War I was to either capture or disable the Suez Canal , which would have put the British Empire at a great disadvantage. However, transporting troops and supplies from Constantinople to the front lines took months by camel caravan. After his assault on
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#1732798341488360-470: The 19th century, when it was used as an interim station on the Jaffa-Jerusalem line , the first significant railway line in the Middle East. For many years Lod (then called Lydda ) was the main railway hub of mandatory Palestine and later Israel as it sits at the intersection of several major rail lines located in the central part of the country. Also, before the establishment of the state of Israel,
390-744: The British garrison along the canal in January–February, 1915, Jamal Pasha enlisted the help of the German engineer Heinrich August Meissner , who also planned the Hejaz Railway , to help him find a more efficient method of logistics. Meissner started constructing a railway to the south of the Palestine region, with the Wadi Surar ( Nahal Sorek ) station serving as the starting point. Two railways were originally built: one to Beit Hanoun , and
420-520: The British had connected Beersheba to the coastal line with a 59 + 1 ⁄ 2 -km-long 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge line which branched off near Rafah . When they captured the old northbound line from Beersheba via Wadi Surar from the Turks, they first converted it to standard gauge by July 1918, then dismantled it entirely in October 1918. Thus
450-511: The Fall 2015 schedule there are three trains in each direction per hour between Be'er Sheva Center and central Israel during most hours of the day. Two of these trains use the Railway to Beersheba with a travel time of between 1hr 5mins and 1hr 15mins (depending on the stops along the route) to Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway Station , with some continuing as far north as Nahariya. The other train serving
480-561: The Lod-Ashkelon railway, serving as a shortcut for trains from southern Israel bound for the Port of Ashdod . In the early-to-mid-1990s the line underwent another renovation which facilitated the renewal of passenger service, first to Be'er Sheva North in 1997, then extended to the city's center with the opening of Be'er Sheva Center in 2000. Nevertheless, the ride from Beersheba to Tel Aviv remained lengthy and train frequency constrained as
510-719: The Zin Factories ( Mount Zin ) in southern Israel, with a spur to the Be'er Sheva Center Railway Station and branch lines to Ramat Hovav , the Arad phosphate mines and factories in Tzefa, and a connection to the Ashkelon–Beersheba railway . It is part of the main line of Israel Railways , of which the northern starting point of the line designated as the "line to Beersheba" is usually indicated as beginning at Na'an junction , where
540-478: The branch line from Rafah became the only rail connection to Beersheba, with a very infrequent service from Qantara ; it, too, was discontinued in July 1927, citing low usage and high maintenance costs. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the railway was rebuilt, in a straightened route and in standard gauge, by Israel Railways, and was originally meant for freight-only service. The second railway to Beersheba splits off
570-515: The design phase are plans to electrify the line using 25kV 50Hz AC overhead line, with electrification works expected to start by 2023. In 2012, preliminary design began on extending the line southwards through the Arava , in order to provide both passenger and freight service to the Red Sea port city of Eilat , although no funds have been appropriated for construction (which is estimated to cost
600-615: The equivalent of several billion US dollars), and with the plan also facing strong opposition from environmental groups. In 2004, a southern branch to the Ramat Hovav and Ramat Beka industrial zones was opened, and further extension of this line to reach the Israel Defense Forces ′ main Training Bases complex near HaNegev Junction is planned. Also planned is a new line branching out to Arad , passing nearby
630-472: The extensions to Dimona , Zin and Tzefa began shortly after. In 1967 the line reached Dimona, Oron in 1970 and Mount Zin in 1977. With the eventual decline of Israel Railways's passenger business, the passenger service to Beersheba was halted in 1979. Freight service on the railway continued however, and in the early 1980s the Heletz railway was built to provide another link between the Railway to Beersheba and
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#1732798341488660-547: The long stretch of railway from Lod to Beersheba still consisted of only a single track with sharp curves and other geometric deficiencies as well as many at-grade railroad crossings. To alleviate the aforementioned issues, from Q3 2004 to Q2 2012, the entire line from north of Na'an junction to Be'er Sheva Center was double tracked and rebuilt on an improved route with gentler curves in many places, all level crossings replaced by grade separations , and increased station capacity. This effort faced many bureaucratic challenges and
690-575: The middle of October 1915, just 9 months from the start of construction. The rest of the planned Egyptian branch was never completed, although Meissner managed to continue the line from Beersheba further south to Kusseima in the Sinai Peninsula , a section of which can be seen (complete with an old boxcar ) adjacent to the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council buildings on Highway 40 near Mashabei Sadeh . By 3 May 1918,
720-476: The need for extensive right of way purchases, thus raising land owners' objections, and was further complicated by the requirement for the existing line to stay in use during the works. The length of this project, which began at the Lod Railway Station , was 87 km and cost NIS 2.8 billion. The rebuilt line has reduced train delays, enabled many more trains to operate along the route and shortened
750-678: The other to Beersheba . The two lines were collectively called the 'Egyptian Branch'. Because construction costs were high and materials hard to come by, the Jaffa – Lydda (Lod) section of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway , as well as the extension to Acre of the Jezreel Valley railway were dismantled and their infrastructure reused on the Beersheba section. The Lydda–Wadi Surar section, previously of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge narrow gauge ,
780-514: The railway splits to Beersheba and Jerusalem . Because the line is not limited to Beersheba, it is known in Israel as Mesilat HaDarom (Southern Railway). Since the opening of the Dimona Railway Station in 2005, it has been used for passenger service from Nahariya to Be'er Sheva Center and from Be'er Sheva North to Dimona. The other two branches are used exclusively for freight services. The railway traces its origins to
810-459: The railway to Beersheba. The Nahariya –Beersheba and Karmiel –Beersheba services are deployed on the same route, via Lod . The line, south of Na'an junction, has the following stations: The second service is a low-capacity two-station line from Be'er Sheva North to Dimona . In addition, trains using the Ashkelon–Beersheba railway use a section of the railway to Beersheba south of Goral Junction on their way to and from Beersheba. Currently in
840-517: The station uses the Ashkelon–Beersheba railway and the Coastal railway with a travel time between 1hr 30mins and 1hr 45mins to Tel Aviv HaHagana via Ashkelon and Rishon LeZion . These trains then terminate in Hod HaSharon . 31°14′36″N 34°47′54″E / 31.243288°N 34.798443°E / 31.243288; 34.798443 This article about an Asian railroad station
870-402: The travel time from Tel Aviv to Beersheba from over 80 minutes before the works began to about 55 minutes after the project was completed (with the possibility of further reductions in travel time following the line's planned electrification and when faster rolling stock will be added to Israel Railways' fleet in the future). Consequently, in the years since the line's reconstruction there has been
900-517: Was converted to the Hejaz railway width of 1,050 mm ( 3 ft 5 + 11 ⁄ 32 in ) narrow gauge standard, in order to be of use with the lines to the south. In the north, the Hejaz railway was connected to Lydda (now Lod) via Jenin , Tulkarm and the Eastern railway , and offered continuous service from Damascus to Beersheba. The line to Beersheba opened for traffic in
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