Israel Railways has opened the first section of the eastern line, creating the first major route for trains that does not pass through Tel Aviv. The initial northern section includes three new stations over 42 kilometers from Hadera East via Shomron - Tayyiba and Kokhav Yair - Tira to the existing Rosh Ha’ayin Station. The remaining 22 kilometers of tracks on the southern section of the eastern line will open next year linking the railway to Lod with a new station at Shoham.
This is the first new Israel Railways line to open since the fast link to Jerusalem in 2018.
This would seem to be good news for residents of the north, Sharon and Samaria, who will be able to reach jobs and colleges without getting caught up in the bottleneck of the Tel Aviv stations. The project is expected to increase the travel supply on the national network, which has so far relied on the two busy coastal railways, by about 30%, and it brings with it accessibility to Arab communities with new stations in Tira and Tayyiba.
The project, the northern part of which was carried out by Netivei Israel and the southern part is being built by Israel Railways, is estimated to have a total cost of about NIS 8.5 billion. One of the main aims is also to increase the transport of freight by train and take trucks off the road. But alongside the good news, there are also old problems. Some of the stations are poorly designed, access is complicated, and the huge parking lots are liable to create traffic jams and congestion around the stations.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 29, 2026.
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