Part of a series on |
Jerusalem |
---|
Transport in Jerusalem is characterized by a well-developed inter-city network and an emerging, developing intra-city network. Ben Gurion International Airport serves as Jerusalem's closest international airport. Egged bus lines and Israel Railways connect the city of Jerusalem to much of Israel, and a high-speed rail line to Herzliya via Ben Gurion Airport and Tel-Aviv was completed in 2018. Within the city, the roads, rather than the rails, are the primary mode of transportation.
Begin Highway (Highway 50) is the western inner city expressway in Jerusalem. It runs north to south from Atarot to Manahat (Malha), and is being extended to link further south into Highway 60 to Gush Etzion. The northern end of the highway is fed by Highway 443 from Tel Aviv and Modiin. The Atarot-Talpiot route (Highway 60) is the main route which traverses the center of the city; and Herzl Boulevard, which begins at the northern entrance of the city and continues south via Mount Herzl and the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. It then merges into additional routes that lead to the southwestern quarters. The Golomb-Herzog-Ben-Zvi route also links the southern quarters with the city center.
Running east through the city center, Jaffa Road connects the Jaffa Gate of the Old City as well as the central-eastern neighbourhoods and the northwestern city entrance to Highway 1. Highway 1 bypasses the city-centre to the north as Yigael Yadin Boulevard, and links Ma'ale Adummim to Begin Highway near Ramot.
Construction is progressing on parts of a 35-kilometer (22-mi) ring road around the city, fostering faster connection between the suburbs and the city center. [1] [2] The eastern half of the project was conceptualized decades ago, but reaction to the proposed highway is still mixed. [1]
Jerusalem Central Bus Station is Jerusalem's main intercity bus station. The city is served mainly by Egged buses, though as of 2009, a number of other companies are providing an increasing number of bus lines to and from the city also; as of 2009, Dan and Superbus also use the Central Bus Station. City buses in Jerusalem are run by Egged and Superbus, which runs close to 100 bus lines throughout the city and its suburbs. A map of the various lines may be accessed on MobileMe [3]
Two joint Egged–Dan bus lines serve the Bnei Brak – Jerusalem route, while Superbus and Veolia serve Modi'in Illit and Modi'in respectively. As of December 2008, Superbus also provides all bus routes in the Jerusalem corridor, between Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. The Illit company provides bus lines to Beitar Illit.
East Jerusalem Arab-run buses serve the city's Arab neighborhoods in Eastern Jerusalem and also some Palestinian towns in the Palestinian Authority and Israeli Arab towns. This system is based out of the East Jerusalem Central Bus Station on Sultan Suleiman Street, though buses also leave from outside the Damascus Gate of the Old City.
The Egged and the East Jerusalem Arab city bus networks are almost completely separated. There are a handful of bus stops served by both companies. Arab residents of East Jerusalem indeed use Egged buses, but Jewish residents rarely use the East Jerusalem Arab buses, in part because while Arabs of East Jerusalem occasionally visit the Jewish parts of Jerusalem, Jews do not frequently visit Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods. [4]
Israel Railways operates two separate train lines to Jerusalem. The main line is the new high-speed rail link, which opened in 2018, with an expected transit time from Tel Aviv of about 30 minutes. It runs from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem via Ben Gurion Airport and terminates at a new underground station, Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station, located between the Jerusalem Central Bus Station and the International Convention Center.
The older line goes from Bet Shemesh to Southern Jerusalem with 2 stops: Jerusalem Malha near the Malha Mall and Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. This line was originally part of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway, which opened in 1892. It was out of use for seven years because of deteriorating conditions and was restored on April 9, 2005. Jerusalem Malha is a new station which replaces the historical Khan Station at Remez Square near the Old City.
The first line of the Jerusalem Light Rail network was completed in 2010 with the erection of Santiago Calatrava's Chords Bridge over Jaffa Road. The first line began operating from Pisgat Ze'ev in the northeast, through French Hill and Jaffa Road to the Central Bus Station and the southwestern neighborhoods. [5] The line was fully operational by late 2011, after several delays, with 14 trains and a maximum headway of 12 minutes. Extensions of the line are expected to open in 2025 after significant delays to Hadassa Ein Kerem Hospital in the west and to the Neve Yaakov neighborhood in the north. [6] Additional lines have been planned from the southern neighborhood of Gilo to the Hebrew University Mount Scopus Campus via Givat Ram and the entrance to the city (Green Line) [7] and from Gilo to Mount Hotzvim via the City Center and Meah Shearim (Blue Line). [8]
Atarot Airport was Jerusalem's airport, but was closed to civilian traffic in 2000 due to security concerns arising from the Second Intifada, [9] and was later placed under IDF control during 2001. [10] However, Ben Gurion International Airport, 40 km (24 mi) northwest of the city, serves as the primary international air transport hub for both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. As the largest of the nation's three international airports (the others are in Haifa and Eilat, but Haifa Airport is unable to handle the largest aircraft), Ben Gurion is Israel's busiest airport, serving over 20 million passengers annually.
Tel Aviv-Yafo, sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a population of 474,530, it is the economic and technological center of the country and a global high tech hub. If East Jerusalem is considered part of Israel, Tel Aviv is the country's second-most-populous city, after Jerusalem; if not, Tel Aviv is the most populous city, ahead of West Jerusalem.
Transportation in Israel is based mainly on private motor vehicles and bus service and an expanding railway network. A lack of inland waterways and the small size of the country make air and water transport of only minor importance in domestic transportation, but they are vitally important for Israel's international transport links. Demands of population growth, political factors, the Israel Defense Forces, tourism and increased traffic set the pace for all sectors, being a major driver in the mobility transition towards railways and public transit while moving away from motorized road transport. All facets of transportation in Israel are under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety.
Ben Gurion International Airport, commonly known by the Hebrew-language acronym Natbag, is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on outskirts north of the city of Lod and directly south of the city of Or Yehuda, it is the busiest airport in the country. It is located 45 kilometres (28 mi) to the northwest of Jerusalem and 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the southeast of Tel Aviv. It was known as Lod Airport until 1973, when it was renamed in honour of David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), the first prime minister of Israel. The airport serves as a hub for El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia, and Sundor, and is managed by the Israel Airports Authority.
The Tel Aviv Light Rail, also known as Dankal is a mass transit system for Gush Dan, the Tel Aviv metropolitan area in central Israel. The system will include different modes of mass transit, including rapid transit (metro), light rail transit (LRT), and bus rapid transit (BRT). Overseen by NTA Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd., a government agency, the project will complement the intercity and suburban rail network operated by Israel Railways.
Jerusalem–Malha railway station was one of two Israel Railways termini in Jerusalem, the other being Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station. The station is located in the southern neighborhood of Malha, across from the Jerusalem Shopping Mall, Pais Arena and Teddy Stadium.
Superbus is an Israeli bus company, which provides intercity and urban service in Afula, Tiberias, Yokneam and Jerusalem.
Nahariya railway station is a railway station serving the city of Nahariya, Israel, and the surrounding towns and villages of the Western Galilee region. It is the northernmost passenger station in Israel and is currently the terminus of the north–south coastal line.
Kiryat Haim railway station is an Israel Railways passenger station serving Haifa's borough of Kiryat Haim and its immediate surrounding region.
Binyamina railway station is an Israel Railways passenger station located in the region of Binyamina-Giv'at Ada and serves these towns, as well as Zikhron Ya'akov, Or Akiva and other small communities in the area.
Highway 50, officially called Begin Boulevard and also referred to as Menachem Begin Expressway or Begin Highway, is a north-south urban freeway, through western Jerusalem, named after Israel's sixth Prime Minister, Menachem Begin. Local Jerusalemites simply refer to it as 'Begin'. It enters Area C of the West Bank on the north end and East Jerusalem on both ends.
Jaffa Road, also called Jaffa Street is one of the longest and oldest major streets in Jerusalem. It crosses the city from east to west, from the Old City walls to downtown Jerusalem, the western portal of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. It is lined with shops, businesses, and restaurants. It joins with Ben Yehuda Street and King George Street to form the Downtown Triangle central business district. Major landmarks along Jaffa Road are Tzahal Square, Safra Square, Zion Square, Davidka Square, the triple intersection (Hameshulash) at King George V Street and Straus Street, the Ben Yehuda Street pedestrian mall, the Mahane Yehuda market, and the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. Jaffa Road has been redeveloped as a car-free pedestrian mall served by the Jerusalem Light Rail, as well as by the Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station directly adjacent to the Central Bus Station.
Rishon LeZion–HaRishonim railway station is a station of Israel Railways in Rishon LeZion, part of the Tel Aviv – Rishon LeZion line. The station is located in the southern area of the city, in the middle of HaRishonim Interchange, at the intersection of the new Highway 431 and Route 412. It was opened on September 13, 2003, with the Beit Shemesh railway station. The station has two platforms. It is the southern terminus of the suburban line to Netanya.
Tel Aviv–HaHagana railway station is a major railway station on the Ayalon Railway in southern Tel Aviv, Israel, serving most lines of Israel Railways. It is located in the median of the Ayalon Highway, north of Highway 1 and 400 meters east of the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station. In 2019, over six million passengers used the station, making it the third-busiest in the country after the nearby Savidor Central and HaShalom stations at the time; it was subsequently overtaken by Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon and demoted to fourth place, but remains the third-busiest station in Tel Aviv.
The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway is a railway that connected Jaffa and Jerusalem. The line was built in the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem by the French company Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements and inaugurated in 1892. The project was headed by Joseph Navon, an Ottoman Jewish entrepreneur from Jerusalem, after previous attempts by the British-Jewish philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore failed. While the first rail track in the Middle East was laid elsewhere, the line is considered to be the first Middle Eastern railway.
Bnei Atarot is a moshav in the Central District of Israel. Located near Yehud, around 15 kilometres east of Tel Aviv, it is situated in fertile plains at the eastern rim of Tel Aviv metropolitan area next to Ben Gurion Airport and falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 934.
The Tel Aviv transportation system is seen as the hub of the Israeli transport network in terms of road, rail, and air transport. The Israeli road network partly centers on Tel Aviv, with some of the country's largest highways passing through or running to the city. The city forms a major part of the country's rail network, whilst Ben Gurion International Airport located near the city is the country's largest airport. There is also a strong public transport system within the city, based primarily on bus transportation.
The Tel Aviv–Jerusalem railway is a railway line in Israel connecting the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The line serves as the main rail link between the two cities, complementing the old Jaffa–Jerusalem railway. As such, the railway is often referred to in Israel as the high-speed railway to Jerusalem to distinguish it from the older, longer and slower line. In spite of that name, the line is not high-speed under the definition used by the International Union of Railways: both its design speed of 200 km/h (125 mph) and its current operational speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) are below the 250 km/h (155 mph) threshold used by the UIC to define high-speed railways, and it is traversed by IR's regular rolling stock instead of the UIC requirement for specially-designed high-speed trains.
The Jerusalem railway station is a historic railway station in Jerusalem, located between Hebron Road and Bethlehem Road, near the German Colony. It is also known as the Jerusalem–Khan railway station after the caravanserai building, now the Khan Theater located across the road, to differentiate it from the Jerusalem–Malha and Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon stations opened after its closure. It was part of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway until its closure in 1998.
The Israeli city of Beersheba occupies a central role in southern Israel. Because of its central position in the Negev it is situated on important national routes reaching down to the far southern port of Eilat. Be'er Sheva is also home to a population of 195,000, with an estimated metro population at over 500,000 making it one of the largest cities in Israel. Much of the cities high-tech industry is concentrated in the center of the city, with Industrial estates existing in the south of the city, both of these areas are thus extensively served.
The Purple Line is a light rail transit (LRT) line under construction in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area in Israel. The line will operate as part of the planned Tel Aviv metropolitan area mass transit system and is expected to be the second line to open. The line will connect the city centre of Tel Aviv with its eastern suburbs of Yehud and Giv'at Shmuel.