Israel Railways has announced that for the next eight days, three of the four main Tel Aviv train stations will be closed for business in order to carry out infrastructure work.
The work is being carried out in order to prepare for the new fast rail line between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which is hopefully set to begin operations in two more years.
But this week’s closure, meanwhile, is only adding to the already congested situation on the railway line that links Tel Aviv with the rest of the country, so here’s all the info you ever wanted to know about which trains are running where, when and how.
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All of the Tel Aviv stations except Haganah will be closed down from Monday, Sept. 19 until Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 05:00 am. These include Hashalom, Savidor Central and University stations.
Changes that will be made to the remaining, reduced operating lines include the following:
Trains SOUTH OF TEL AVIV: These will end at Haganah station.
Trains NORTH OF TEL AVIV: These will end at Herzliya.
Suburban lines: Trains from Binyamina will operate to and from Herzliya.
There will be no Tel Aviv-Haifa express trains. There will, however, be a special express train bypassing Tel Aviv, between Be’er Sheva and Nahariya, and trains between Binyamina and Hod Hasharon.
Night trains between Nahariya and Ben Gurion International Airport will also operate to and from Herzliya.
The Herzliya-Jerusalem (Malha) line will operate between Beit Shemesh and Lod only, according to the Globes business news website.
There will also be special shuttle bus service to replace those trains that are not running during the infrastructure work, and existing bus service will run more frequently.
“We are aware of the inconvenience caused by these works, and are acting together with the Ministry of Transport to provide travel alternatives,” Israel Railways CEO Boaz Tsafrir told Globes.