New Schedule goes into effect October 10, 2004  

Israel Railways CEO, Yosi Mor: "With the opening of the line to Ben Gurion Airport , Israel Railways joins the other countries of the world that have rail transportation between metropolitan areas and the airport"

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"The opening of the line to Ben Gurion Airport is additional proof of Israel Railways growth and development.

With the opening of the line to Ben Gurion Airport, Israel Railways joins the other countries of the world that have rail transportation between metropolitan areas and the airport", says Yosi Mor, CEO Israel Railways.

With the launch of the line to Ben Gurion Airport commencing October 10, a new rail schedule will also go into effect extending the Railways operating hours.

The rail link to Ben Gurion Airport is an inter-urban line Nahariya-Haifa-Ben Gurion Airport, in which Israel Railways has invested 371 million shekels (41 million shekels of which was funded by the Airports Authority).

Israel Railways will operate 64 trains to/from Ben Gurion Airport daily in both directions, including a night train (the first train will depart from Nahariya at 02:02 and arrive at Ben Gurion Airport at 03:40 in the early hours of the morning).

The railway station is located next to the Ben Gurion Airport 2000 Passenger Terminal, offering rail passengers convenient and direct access to the new terminal.

Until the official opening of Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport (beginning of November), shuttles will operate free of charge from the railway station to the present air terminal, according to a schedule matching train arrival and departure times.

In addition to passengers traveling abroad, the rail line to Ben Gurion Airport will also serve the thousands of workers at the new airport, and at factories and industry in the vicinity, as well as the residents of the neighboring towns Modiin, Shoham, the Emek Lod Regional Council, etc., who will be able to park at the station and continue from there to Tel Aviv.

Parking will be free until the opening of the new terminal (November 1, 2004 inclusive). Thereafter, parking will cost rail passengers a nominal sum of NIS 12 a day.

 

Israel Railways CEO, Yosi Mor, says that: "This is one of the Railways most important projects, both at the international level and at the local level.

Using this line, passengers from all over the country can reach the terminal by train, saving them time and money in the process. We expect 100,000 passengers to benefit from this line per month".

"With the launch of the line to Ben Gurion Airport , a new schedule will go into effect. Trains will be added and there will be improvements to existing lines on weekdays and at weekends.

During the week, 288 passenger trains will run daily compared with 260 trains according to the present schedule, and on Fridays 98 passenger trains will run compared with the present 84."

As part of the improvements, Israel Railways will add 16 trains per day on the Tel Aviv-Rishon Lezion line, such that there will be two trains per hour in each direction during peak hours.

Trains will also be added on the Ashdod line; in the afternoons, there will be two trains per hour on this line.

On the Tel Aviv-Haifa line, following the introduction of the new schedule, there will be three trains per hour in the afternoon, and an express train once every hour during that time of day.

In addition, the route of some of the trains on the Beer Sheva- Tel Aviv line will be extended, and henceforth go to/ depart from Haifa or Nahariya.

Israel Railways CEO, Yosi Mor, also says that: "Implementation of the new timetable has been made possible by the completion of infrastructure projects and the purchase of new railway equipment.

The new schedule improves the rail passenger service, brings outlying areas closer to the center and enables transporting more passengers more quickly to more destinations."

 

For further details, contact Rail Spokesman Beni Naor in Israel 972-3-6937414

Information provided by
David Beirman
Director Israel Tourism Office
Australia & New Zealand

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