Eastern Railway (Israel)
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Railway refers to a railroad in central Israel
stretching from Lod
to Hadera
. As of 2011, the section between Kfar Saba
and Lod, as well as a short section just north of Hadera are in use, while the rest of the railway has not been operative since 1969, though there are plans to rebuild and upgrade the railway along the entire route.
authorities in Palestine
during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign
of World War I
, to assist them with moving men and material in the war effort. It connected Tulkarm
(where it connected to a branch line of the Jezreel Valley Railway
, and through it to the greater Hejaz Railway) and Lod, where it connected to the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
and the Railway to Beersheba
. An extension northwards from Tulkarm to Hadera was also built in order to supply the railway with timber collected from the forests around Hadera that was used as fuel and for infrastructure. The line was built as narrow gauge
(1050 mm) like the rest of the ottoman railways in the region and was situated relatively inland to avoid the reach of naval guns from Royal Navy
warships patrolling the Mediterranean
coast.
conquered the area, they converted the railway to standard gauge
and extended it from Hadera north to the port city of Haifa
. It then became the main north-south rail link in the British Mandate of Palestine and was operated by Palestine Railways. While the Jaffa-Jerusalem railway was also converted to standard gauge at the same time, the Jezreel Valley Railway was not and therefore it was no longer possible for trains using the Eastern Railway to travel to sections of the Hejaz Railway due to the gauge break. During the Mandate period, stations on the Eastern Railway operated in Hadera, Qaqun, Tulkarm, Qalqilyah
, Rosh HaAyin
, Rantiya (Wilhelma
), Kafr Jinis, and Lod (then called Lydda). Around the period surrounding World War II
, the Eastern Railway was one link in a larger contiguous standard gauge rail network that allowed trains to travel all the way from Europe to southern Egypt.
completed constructing the Coastal Railway
from Hadera to Tel Aviv
on a route roughly paralleling the Eastern Railway's, but much closer to the coastline, where most of the population resides. Nevertheless, passenger and freight service on the Eastern railway continued operating, partly to show Israeli presence in the region around the railway which lay very close to the Green Line
– then the country's eastern border. The railway also derived its name from this easterly location within the country. After Israel came to control both sides of the Green Line after the 1967 Six-Day War
, service on the section of the line from just south of the Hadera East Railway Station to Kfar Saba was discontinued in 1969 and that railway section was effectively abandoned. The rest of the line between Kfar Saba and Lod continued operating, albeit mainly for freight services, with a few passenger trains using the section between Rosh HaAyin and Lod to reach southern Israel from northern Tel Aviv and points north (since until the 1990s, the Ayalon Railway did not exist and thus there was no north-south rail connection through Tel Aviv itself). Another part of the railway that continued operating is a short section which connects the Hadera East Railway Station to the Coastal Railway at a point near Pardes Hanna named Remez Junction, though since 1969 Hadera East is only used for handling freight trains bound for the adjacent Granot
"Ambar North" large feed
mill complex.
, the government of Israel has announced plans to revive the old Eastern line. This involves rebuilding the railroad in the Hadera-Kfar Saba section and upgrading the existing section between Kfar Saba and Lod, including the construction of 30 grade separation
s, ten other supporting structures, and connections and flying junction
s with other railroads. The entire route will be double-tracked and stations will be constructed or rebuilt in Hadera, Ahituv
(formerly Qaqun), Tayibe
, Kokhav Ya'ir
, Kfar Saba (East), El'ad
, and Te'ufa (near the old Kafr Jinis station and today's Airport City business park). A significant portion of the railway will be built alongside the existing Cross-Israel Highway
. Construction is expected to take place in the second half of the 2010 decade.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
stretching from Lod
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
to Hadera
Hadera
Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...
. As of 2011, the section between Kfar Saba
Kfar Saba
Kfar Saba , officially Kfar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2009, Kfar Saba had a total population of 83,600.-History:...
and Lod, as well as a short section just north of Hadera are in use, while the rest of the railway has not been operative since 1969, though there are plans to rebuild and upgrade the railway along the entire route.
Construction
The railway was constructed by the OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
authorities in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, to assist them with moving men and material in the war effort. It connected Tulkarm
Tulkarm
Tulkarem or Tulkarm is a Palestinian city in the northern Samarian mountain range in the Tulkarm Governorate in the extreme northwestern West Bank adjacent to the Netanya and Haifa districts to the west, the Nablus and Jenin Districts to the east...
(where it connected to a branch line of the Jezreel Valley Railway
Jezreel Valley railway
The Jezreel Valley railway, or simply the Valley railway refers to a historical railroad in Ottoman and British Palestine, which was part of the larger Hejaz railway and ran along the Jezreel Valley....
, and through it to the greater Hejaz Railway) and Lod, where it connected to the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway is a railroad that connected Jaffa and Jerusalem. The line was built in Ottoman Palestine by the French company Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements and inaugurated in 1892, after previous attempts by the Jewish philanthropist Moses...
and the Railway to Beersheba
Railway to Beersheba
The Railway to Beersheba is the common name for the railroad which currently stretches from central Israel to the Zin Factories in southern Israel, with spurs to the Be'er Sheva Center Railway Station, Ramat Hovav and the Arad phosphate mines and factories in Tzefa...
. An extension northwards from Tulkarm to Hadera was also built in order to supply the railway with timber collected from the forests around Hadera that was used as fuel and for infrastructure. The line was built as narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
(1050 mm) like the rest of the ottoman railways in the region and was situated relatively inland to avoid the reach of naval guns from Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
warships patrolling the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
coast.
Under British administration
After the BritishBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
conquered the area, they converted the railway to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
and extended it from Hadera north to the port city of Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. It then became the main north-south rail link in the British Mandate of Palestine and was operated by Palestine Railways. While the Jaffa-Jerusalem railway was also converted to standard gauge at the same time, the Jezreel Valley Railway was not and therefore it was no longer possible for trains using the Eastern Railway to travel to sections of the Hejaz Railway due to the gauge break. During the Mandate period, stations on the Eastern Railway operated in Hadera, Qaqun, Tulkarm, Qalqilyah
Qalqilyah
-Bibliography: p. -External links:**...
, Rosh HaAyin
Rosh HaAyin
Rosh HaAyin is a city in the Center District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southeast is the fortress of Migdal Afek...
, Rantiya (Wilhelma
Wilhelma, Palestine
Wilhelma was a German Templer colony in Palestine located southwest of al-'Abbasiyyah near Jaffa.Wilhelma-Hamîdije was named in honour of King William II of Württemberg, Emperor Wilhelm II and Sultan Abdul Hamid II, however, only the first half of the name prevailed...
), Kafr Jinis, and Lod (then called Lydda). Around the period surrounding World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Eastern Railway was one link in a larger contiguous standard gauge rail network that allowed trains to travel all the way from Europe to southern Egypt.
State of Israel
When the State of Israel was established in 1948, most of the line lay within its borders, except for a small section of railway near Tulkarm. In 1949 a bypass was constructed west of Tulkarm which allowed renewal of service on the railway. In 1953, Israel RailwaysIsrael Railways
Israel Railways is the principal passenger railway operating company in Israel, and is responsible for all inter-city and suburban rail way passenger and freight traffic in the country. All its lines are standard gauge. The network is centered in Israel's densely populated coastal plain, from...
completed constructing the Coastal Railway
Coastal railway line, Israel
The Coastal railway line is a mainline railway in Israel, which begins just south of the Lebanon-Israel border on the Mediterranean coast, near the town of Nahariya in Northern Israel and currently ends in Tel Aviv; by 2013 it will be linked to the existing Ashdod Railway Station south of Tel Aviv,...
from Hadera to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
on a route roughly paralleling the Eastern Railway's, but much closer to the coastline, where most of the population resides. Nevertheless, passenger and freight service on the Eastern railway continued operating, partly to show Israeli presence in the region around the railway which lay very close to the Green Line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
– then the country's eastern border. The railway also derived its name from this easterly location within the country. After Israel came to control both sides of the Green Line after the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, service on the section of the line from just south of the Hadera East Railway Station to Kfar Saba was discontinued in 1969 and that railway section was effectively abandoned. The rest of the line between Kfar Saba and Lod continued operating, albeit mainly for freight services, with a few passenger trains using the section between Rosh HaAyin and Lod to reach southern Israel from northern Tel Aviv and points north (since until the 1990s, the Ayalon Railway did not exist and thus there was no north-south rail connection through Tel Aviv itself). Another part of the railway that continued operating is a short section which connects the Hadera East Railway Station to the Coastal Railway at a point near Pardes Hanna named Remez Junction, though since 1969 Hadera East is only used for handling freight trains bound for the adjacent Granot
Granot central cooperative
Granot Central Cooperative Ltd. is a purchasing organization of the kibbutz movement in Israel. The chairman is Itzhak Bader, who has held the position since 1995....
"Ambar North" large feed
Compound feed
Compound feeds are feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives. These blends are formulated according to the specific requirements of the target animal...
mill complex.
Future plans
Partly to alleviate congestion on the Coastal Railway as well as to increase freight capacity on the national rail network and provide rail access to a planned inland portDry port
A dry port is an inland intermodal terminal directly connected by road or rail to a seaport and operating as a centre for the transshipment of sea cargo to inland destinations....
, the government of Israel has announced plans to revive the old Eastern line. This involves rebuilding the railroad in the Hadera-Kfar Saba section and upgrading the existing section between Kfar Saba and Lod, including the construction of 30 grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation is the method of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a...
s, ten other supporting structures, and connections and flying junction
Flying junction
A flying junction or flyover is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...
s with other railroads. The entire route will be double-tracked and stations will be constructed or rebuilt in Hadera, Ahituv
Ahituv
Ahituv is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Hadera, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 813.The moshav was founded in 1951 by immigrants from Iran and Iraq...
(formerly Qaqun), Tayibe
Tayibe
Tayibe is an Israeli Arab city in central Israel, 12 kilometers east of Kfar Saba. In 2007, it had a population of 36,800. Tayibe is part of the Triangle.-History:...
, Kokhav Ya'ir
Kokhav Ya'ir
Kokhav Ya'ir-Tzur Yigal is a town in the Center District of Israel. Kokhav Ya'ir and the neighboring town of Tzur Yigal merged in November 2003. Together, the population in 2008 was 11,050.-History:...
, Kfar Saba (East), El'ad
El'ad
El'ad, also spelled Elad , is a city in the Center District of Israel. Located about east of Tel Aviv on Route 444 between Rosh HaAyin and Shoham.In 2007 the town had a total population of 31,300. Its current population is estimated at over 32,000...
, and Te'ufa (near the old Kafr Jinis station and today's Airport City business park). A significant portion of the railway will be built alongside the existing Cross-Israel Highway
Highway 6 (Israel)
Highway 6 , widely known as the Trans-Israel Highway or Cross-Israel Highway , is a major electronic toll highway in Israel. The highway was officially dedicated as the Yitzhak Rabin Highway , though this name is not commonly used. It started operating in the early 2000s and is being lengthened as...
. Construction is expected to take place in the second half of the 2010 decade.