Tel Aviv South Railway Station
Encyclopedia
Tel Aviv South Railway Station is a former railway station in Tel Aviv
, Israel
, that was situated in two different locations. It opened in its first location in 1920, then relocated in 1970 and finally closed to passengers in 1993.
The station was built at its first location in 1920, as the Tel Aviv Custom House Station. At a distance of approximately 2.5 km from the Jaffa Railway Station
; near the Yehuda Halevi Street and along the route that is today called the Railway Street (HaRakevet Street) in Hebrew.
It was built once the British Mandate Authorities were able to rebuild
the whole Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
, which was damaged during World War I
, in a Standard gauge
, rather than the original 1.05 meter gauge. The construction of the station and its adjacent Custom House
was one of the first civil engineering
works the British
carried out, once their governing mandate was established by the League of nations
. The station and Customs House were built to replace the existing Jaffa Customs House, which was old, congested and could not cope with the growing level of cargo traffic at that time.
In 1935, an office building Beit Hadar (in Hebrew, The Citrus House), the first steel frame
structure in Tel Aviv
, was built next to the station by architect Carl Rubin
. From that point the station was also known as Beit Hadar Station.
During the 1948-49 Israel War of Independence the service on the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
was stopped, and only resumed on August 7, 1949; after the Rhodes armistice agreement was signed with Jordan
.
On September 20, 1949, once the Tel Aviv North Railway Station
was opened (which was later renamed Bnei Brak Railway Station), the station was renamed Tel Aviv South Railway Station. At this time it also became a Terminus, as the section of track to Jaffa Railway Station
was lifted and the station closed.
was disturbing the growing vehicle traffic
along the major Tel Aviv artery of Begin Road
(at the time was still called Petah Tikva
Road), therefore it was decided to relocate the station 2 km further out of town. The new station was opened on 26 November 1970. The tracks between the New Tel Aviv South Station and the original Customs House Station were lifted; however the Station building remained in place, in the central reservation
of HaRakevet Street; the station name can still be clearly seen on the building, although the structure itself is now abandoned and neglected.
Although the new station was quite specious, with a large indoor passenger concourse
, 4 platforms and additional Railway sidings; it had only 16 rail services per day when it opened (8 in each direction). The station was poorly used due to its remote location far away from the city centre (unlike its previous location which was much more centrally located). This contributed to a significant drop in passenger traffic and in 1979 the passenger rail service to Be’er Sheva
was halted and the service to Jerusalem reduced to one train a day in each direction. However, in 1990, new suburban service to Rehovot Railway Station
was introduced.
project the railway lines in the Tel Aviv
area were re-aligned. New tracks were laid within the highway's central reservation
, finally linking the coastal line
from Haifa
to Northern Tel Aviv with the railway line from Southern Tel Aviv to Lod
and from there to Jerusalem
, Be’er Sheva
and Ashdod
(from 2005 also to Ashkelon
and Ben Gurion Airport
) to the south; thus creating a continuous rail corridor from the north of Israel to the south through Tel Aviv for the first time. Previously, all rail traffic from the North of the country to and from the South had to bypass the entire Tel Aviv metropolitan area from the East. Since the new Ayalon railway bypassed the station, all passenger service to the station was discontinued and moved to the Tel Aviv Central Railway Station, though Tel Aviv South Station remained connected to the rail network via a short spur to the Ayalon railway. Later, additional stations were built along the Ayalon Highway
, including the nearby HaHagana Railway Station
.
and occasionally as a Stabling point
.
will soon be revived by the planned Tel Aviv Light Rail, which will pass on the same route.
and stabling point
which is situated in the central reservation
within the two carriageway
s of Highway 1
, south of Tel Aviv HaHagana Station
and the Kibbutz Galuyot Interchange where Highway 1 merges into the Ayalon Highway.
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...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, that was situated in two different locations. It opened in its first location in 1920, then relocated in 1970 and finally closed to passengers in 1993.
Original location
32.063265°N 34.77867°WThe station was built at its first location in 1920, as the Tel Aviv Custom House Station. At a distance of approximately 2.5 km from the Jaffa Railway Station
Jaffa Railway Station
Jaffa Railway Station was a railroad station in Jaffa, the first railway station in the Middle East, that served as the terminus for the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway...
; near the Yehuda Halevi Street and along the route that is today called the Railway Street (HaRakevet Street) in Hebrew.
It was built once the British Mandate Authorities were able to rebuild
the whole 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...
, which was damaged during 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...
, in a 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...
, rather than the original 1.05 meter gauge. The construction of the station and its adjacent Custom House
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was a building housing the offices for the government officials who processed the paperwork for the import and export of goods into and out of a country. Customs officials also collected customs duty on imported goods....
was one of the first civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
works the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
carried out, once their governing mandate was established by the League of nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. The station and Customs House were built to replace the existing Jaffa Customs House, which was old, congested and could not cope with the growing level of cargo traffic at that time.
In 1935, an office building Beit Hadar (in Hebrew, The Citrus House), the first steel frame
Steel frame
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...
structure in 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...
, was built next to the station by architect Carl Rubin
Carl Rubin (architect)
Carl Rubin was an architect mostly active in the international style with projects focused around Tel Aviv.-Biography:Carl Rubin was born in 1899 in Galicia, and studied architecture in Vienna. In 1920, Rubin decided to move to Eretz Israel and settle in Tel Aviv for some time. During his stay,...
. From that point the station was also known as Beit Hadar Station.
During the 1948-49 Israel War of Independence the service on 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...
was stopped, and only resumed on August 7, 1949; after the Rhodes armistice agreement was signed with Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
.
On September 20, 1949, once the Tel Aviv North Railway Station
Bnei Brak Railway Station
Bnei Brak Railway Station is a suburban passenger railway station in Israel, operated by Israel Railways. It is located near the Bnei Brak – Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak – Tel Aviv borders next to the Ayalon Mall and the Ramat Gan Stadium...
was opened (which was later renamed Bnei Brak Railway Station), the station was renamed Tel Aviv South Railway Station. At this time it also became a Terminus, as the section of track to Jaffa Railway Station
Jaffa Railway Station
Jaffa Railway Station was a railroad station in Jaffa, the first railway station in the Middle East, that served as the terminus for the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway...
was lifted and the station closed.
Relocation
By the 1960s, the movement of trains on the Jaffa–Jerusalem railwayJaffa–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...
was disturbing the growing vehicle traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
along the major Tel Aviv artery of Begin Road
Begin Road
Begin Road is a major thoroughfare in Tel Aviv, Israel. It begins at Allenby Street and runs to its northern end which is at HaRakevet Interchange on Ayalon Highway.There are two interchanges along Begin Road: Ma'ariv Bridge and Kaplan Interchange....
(at the time was still called Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
Road), therefore it was decided to relocate the station 2 km further out of town. The new station was opened on 26 November 1970. The tracks between the New Tel Aviv South Station and the original Customs House Station were lifted; however the Station building remained in place, in the central reservation
Central reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
of HaRakevet Street; the station name can still be clearly seen on the building, although the structure itself is now abandoned and neglected.
Although the new station was quite specious, with a large indoor passenger concourse
Concourse
A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space.-Examples:Examples of concourses include:* Meeting halls* Universities* Railway stations...
, 4 platforms and additional Railway sidings; it had only 16 rail services per day when it opened (8 in each direction). The station was poorly used due to its remote location far away from the city centre (unlike its previous location which was much more centrally located). This contributed to a significant drop in passenger traffic and in 1979 the passenger rail service to Be’er Sheva
Be'er Sheva North Railway Station
Be'er Sheva North Railway Station is an Israel Railways station in Beersheba. It is a stop on the intercity line from Tel Aviv and Nahariya, and the terminus of the Beersheba - Dimona spur....
was halted and the service to Jerusalem reduced to one train a day in each direction. However, in 1990, new suburban service to Rehovot Railway Station
Rehovot Railway Station
Rehovot Railway Station is an Israel Railways passenger station located in the city of Rehovot. It serves the city, the Weizmann Institute of Science and the nearby science industries park, as well as the city of Ness Ziona...
was introduced.
Closure
In 1993, as part of the Ayalon HighwayAyalon Highway
Highway 20, more commonly the Ayalon Highway , is a major intracity freeway in Gush Dan, Israel. The road runs along Tel Aviv's center eastern border from north to south and connects all of the major highways leading to the city - such as Highway 4 from Ashdod and the Southern regions, Highway 2...
project the railway lines in the 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...
area were re-aligned. New tracks were laid within the highway's central reservation
Central reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
, finally linking the coastal line
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 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...
to Northern Tel Aviv with the railway line from Southern Tel Aviv to Lod
Lod Railway Station
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....
and from there to Jerusalem
Jerusalem Railway Station
The Jerusalem Railway Station is a former railway station located in the area between Hebron Road and Bethlehem Road, near the German Colony of Jerusalem, Israel. It was part of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway until its closure in 1998...
, Be’er Sheva
Be'er Sheva North Railway Station
Be'er Sheva North Railway Station is an Israel Railways station in Beersheba. It is a stop on the intercity line from Tel Aviv and Nahariya, and the terminus of the Beersheba - Dimona spur....
and Ashdod
Ashdod Ad Halom Railway Station
Ashdod Ad Halom Railway Station is a railway station in Ashdod, Israel. It is on the suburban line Binyamina/Netanya - Tel Aviv - Rehovot/Ashkelon. Ashdod Ad Halom Station was opened in June 1995 and was fully rebuilt in 2003...
(from 2005 also to Ashkelon
Ashkelon Railway Station
Ashkelon Railway Station is a railway station in Ashkelon, Israel. It's a suburban terminus on the line Binyamina/Netanya - Tel Aviv - Rehovot/Ashkelon. The station was in service on the line to Egypt before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War....
and Ben Gurion Airport
Ben Gurion Airport Railway Station
Ben Gurion Airport Railway Station is a station on the Israel Railways lines between Tel Aviv and Modi'in. The station is located in the lower level of Ben Gurion International Airport's Terminal 3, and was opened in 2004.-Services:...
) to the south; thus creating a continuous rail corridor from the north of Israel to the south through Tel Aviv for the first time. Previously, all rail traffic from the North of the country to and from the South had to bypass the entire Tel Aviv metropolitan area from the East. Since the new Ayalon railway bypassed the station, all passenger service to the station was discontinued and moved to the Tel Aviv Central Railway Station, though Tel Aviv South Station remained connected to the rail network via a short spur to the Ayalon railway. Later, additional stations were built along the Ayalon Highway
Ayalon Highway
Highway 20, more commonly the Ayalon Highway , is a major intracity freeway in Gush Dan, Israel. The road runs along Tel Aviv's center eastern border from north to south and connects all of the major highways leading to the city - such as Highway 4 from Ashdod and the Southern regions, Highway 2...
, including the nearby HaHagana Railway Station
Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway Station
Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway Station is an Israel Railways station in Tel Aviv. It is Tel Aviv's southernmost railway station, located some 400 meters to the east of Tel Aviv Central Bus Station. It is located between the lanes of the Ayalon Highway, just north of where Highway 1 splits from it...
.
The station today
Today the station is used as a training site for 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...
and occasionally as a Stabling point
Stabling point
A stabling point, in UK railway parlance, is a small traction maintenance depot where locomotives are parked whilst awaiting their next turn of duty. A stabling point may be fitted with a fuelling point and other minor maintenance facilities. A good example of this was Newports Godfrey road...
.
Future plans
Part of the route of the railway between the original Custom House Station, and Jaffa Railway StationJaffa Railway Station
Jaffa Railway Station was a railroad station in Jaffa, the first railway station in the Middle East, that served as the terminus for the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway...
will soon be revived by the planned Tel Aviv Light Rail, which will pass on the same route.
Tel Aviv South rail yard
Located east of the historical 1970 station location is the active Tel Aviv South rail yardRail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
and stabling point
Stabling point
A stabling point, in UK railway parlance, is a small traction maintenance depot where locomotives are parked whilst awaiting their next turn of duty. A stabling point may be fitted with a fuelling point and other minor maintenance facilities. A good example of this was Newports Godfrey road...
which is situated in the central reservation
Central reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
within the two carriageway
Carriageway
A carriageway consists of a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move laterally...
s of Highway 1
Highway 1 (Israel)
Highway 1 , is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem.-History:The section between Latrun and Jerusalem roughly follows an ancient path connecting Jaffa and Jerusalem...
, south of Tel Aviv HaHagana Station
Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway Station
Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway Station is an Israel Railways station in Tel Aviv. It is Tel Aviv's southernmost railway station, located some 400 meters to the east of Tel Aviv Central Bus Station. It is located between the lanes of the Ayalon Highway, just north of where Highway 1 splits from it...
and the Kibbutz Galuyot Interchange where Highway 1 merges into the Ayalon Highway.
See also
- Jaffa–Jerusalem railwayJaffa–Jerusalem railwayThe 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...
- Jerusalem Railway StationJerusalem Railway StationThe Jerusalem Railway Station is a former railway station located in the area between Hebron Road and Bethlehem Road, near the German Colony of Jerusalem, Israel. It was part of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway until its closure in 1998...
- Jaffa Railway StationJaffa Railway StationJaffa Railway Station was a railroad station in Jaffa, the first railway station in the Middle East, that served as the terminus for the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway...