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, forming one continuous railway line along the entire Mediterranean coast of Israel all the way to the border with the Gaza Strip in the south.

History

The northern part of the coastal line from Acre (Akko) to Remez Junction (south of today's Caesarea-Pardes Hanna Railway Station) was built by the British during the 1920s and operated by Palestine Railways. In 1941–42 engineers of the South African Army and New Zealand Army extended the line north to Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon through railway tunnels at Rosh HaNikra grottoes. Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War the tunnel linking the line to Lebanon was blocked.

The section south from Remez junction including its then-terminus, the Tel Aviv Central Railway Station, were built by Israel Railways in the beginning of the 1950s and the new line opened in May 1953 with Tel Aviv Central opening in November 1954. This new railroad then became the main north-south rail link between northern and central Israel, supplementing the older, more easterly/inland section which connected Remez junction and the nearby Hadera East Railway Station to the Lod Railway Station in central Israel that was constructed during the Ottoman period (and known today as the Eastern railway line, which has been partially abandoned since 1969). This new section of coastal railway from Remez junction linked the Tel Aviv Central Station and Haifa Central Railway Station and significantly shortened the travel time between the two cities as well as providing service to the cities of Herzliya and Netanya. During the 1990s the railway line was extended south along the Ayalon Highway and connected with the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway.

Over the years additional stations were built along the line, including: Tel Aviv HaHagana, Tel Aviv HaShalom, Tel Aviv University, Hadera West Railway Station, Caesarea-Pardes Hanna Railway Station, Haifa Hof HaCarmel, Hutzot HaMifratz Railway Station and Lev HaMifratz Railway Station.

Services

Both intercity and suburban services operate on the line. The intercity service from Nahariya and Haifa to Tel Aviv and suburban services in both the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and the Haifa metropolitan area. Freight trains operate on the line as well.

The line is the busiest on the Israel Railways network, with the section along the Ayalon Highway the busiest on the line.

Future plans

A new section that includes five new stations along the South Ayalon Highway and Highway 4 is currently under construction and will eventually reach the existing Ashdod Railway Station (which is currently served by the Lod–Ashkelon railway).

Beginning in the late 1980s, works to double track the line began. As of 2009 most of the line has been double tracked except for a about a 12km section from just south of Akko to the line's terminus in Nahariya. The double tracking of this last remaining section is expected to be finished in 2011. Currently in the planning and permitting stages are works to electrify the line as well, though the Haifa municipality strongly opposes the electrification plan for aesthetic and public access reasons since the railway lies so close to the coastline within its borders.

Because the line is Israel's most congested, there are plans to slowly triple and quadruple it in stages between Tel Aviv and Binyamina. Also planned is the rebuilding of the old Eastern line to act as a backup railroad to the coastal line south of Remez junction, while at other times to serve mainly freight trains with some limited passenger service.