 | |
_-_The_diamond_exchange_complex.jpg) Aerial view of Tel Aviv Savidor Central railway station | |
| Company type | State owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railways |
| Headquarters | Lod railway station, , |
Area served | Israel |
Key people | Michael Maixner (CEO) |
| Services | Rail transport, Cargo transport |
| Revenue |  ₪940+ million[1] (2015) |
| ₪1 billion[2] (2016) | |
| ₪1.5 billion[3] (2014) | |
| Owner | Government of Israel |
Number of employees | 4,366 (2022) |
| Website | www |
 | |
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Stations called at | 66 |
| Locale |  Israel |
| Dates of operation | 1948–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | In the process of conversion to electric; 25 kV, 50 Hz overhead wire (60% complete) |
| Length | 1,138 km |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
Israel Railways Ltd. (Hebrew: רַכֶּבֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Rakevet Yisra'el) is the state-owned principal railway company responsible for all inter-city, commuter, and freight rail transport in Israel. Israel Railways network consists of 1,138 kilometers (707 mi) of track. All its lines are standard gauge but some were originally built to other gauges and later regauged. Electrification began in 2018 with the new line to Jerusalem and there are ambitious plans to electrify the entire network at 25 kV 50 Hz supplied via overhead line. The network is centered in Israel's densely populated coastal plain, from which lines radiate out in many directions. In 2018, Israel Railways carried 68 million passengers.
Unlike road vehicles and city trams, Israeli heavy rail trains run on the left hand tracks, matching neighboring Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, whose formerly connected rail networks were constructed by British engineers. Those lines that formerly crossed Israel's borders were severed during the Israeli War of Independence and as of 2024[update] there are no international train lines or services to or from Israel.
Until 1980, the company's head office was located at Haifa Center HaShmona railway station. Tzvi Tzafriri, the general manager of Israel Railways, decided to move the head office to Tel Aviv Savidor Central Railway Station. In 2017, the company's head office was moved to a new campus built on the grounds of the Lod railway station.
- ^ Jeremaya Goldberg: Israel reports 9% passenger increase in International Railway Journal, 2016-03-30, retrieved 4 April 2016
- ^ "Israel Railways – About Israel Railways". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "רכבת ישראל - הודעות דוברות - 2015–2016".