After years of planning and construction, the Eastern Railway Line is now operational. Starting today (Sunday), Israel Railways began operating the first phase of the new line, connecting residents of the eastern Sharon, Samaria region, and Hefer Valley to the national rail network for the first time through three new stations: Hadera East, Shomron-Taibe, and Tira-Kochav Yair.
3+In the first phase, the new stations connect to Rosh HaAyin North station, which was upgraded as part of the project. From there, passengers can transfer trains within minutes and continue to Tel Aviv and other destinations across the country. The new line will operate Sunday through Thursday, between approximately 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., with two trains per hour in each direction. Later, after completion of electrification and infrastructure work, the line will extend south to include Shoham-Te’ufa, Elad, and Lod stations, alongside expanded service on Fridays and Saturday nights.
The Transportation Ministry and Israel Railways report that travel from Hadera East to Rosh HaAyin North will take about 32 minutes, and about 60 minutes to Tel Aviv including the transfer. From Shomron-Taibe, the journey will take about 18 minutes to Rosh HaAyin and about 46 minutes to Tel Aviv, while from Tira-Kochav Yair passengers will reach Rosh HaAyin in about 11 minutes and Tel Aviv in about 39 minutes.
3+The Eastern Railway Line is one of the largest transportation projects carried out in Israel in recent years. It’s a double-track electrified railway spanning about 64 kilometers, connecting Hadera to Lod along a route near Highway 6. The project is being executed jointly by Israel Railways and Netivei Israel, the national roads company.
Beyond improving passenger service, the project is designed to increase the capacity of the national rail network by about 30%, reduce congestion on the coastal rail lines, and enable north-south train movement without passing through Tel Aviv—a corridor currently considered the most congested in Israel.
3+The Transportation Ministry estimates that opening the line will provide a significant alternative to private cars for hundreds of thousands of residents in the Sharon, Samaria, and Arab sectors, who until now relied mainly on travel via congested highways. Officials also estimate that expanding the rail network will help reduce traffic congestion, decrease the number of trucks on the roads, and cut air pollution.
Ahead of the line’s opening, emergency drills and operational exercises were completed at the new stations in recent weeks, with participation from Israel Police, fire and rescue services, Magen David Adom, and Israel Railways teams. The stations also feature park-and-ride lots, accessible parking, bicycle facilities, and public transportation hubs from which bus lines to nearby communities will operate.
3+Alongside the Eastern Railway Line opening, Israel Railways is also expanding operating hours on various lines in the north and south. Starting this coming weekend, Friday service will be extended until approximately 4:00 p.m., and trains will resume Saturday night operations until approximately 1:00 a.m. on multiple lines and stations, including Nahariya, Acre, Karmiel, Haifa stations, Netanya, Lod, Kiryat Gat, Lehavim-Rahat, and Be’er Sheva. Additionally, Saturday night trains will resume on the northern line.