Hi all,
Since I could find no thread on Israeli trains, I decided it was time to add one.
Israel's railway system were sadly neglected for several decades, and degenerated into a very poor state.
Some time in the 1990s the government realised that the road system could not handle the rapidly rising levels of traffic, and decided to begin serious investment in the railways. Since then, the system has been undergoing a rapid process of modernisation and expansion, so that today, at least to a number of major destinations, it is a seriously viable method of transport.
There are 4 types of train in use, all diesel, and all of which appear in the pics below. Of the four types, the most common are the Bombardier double deckers, followed by the Danish IC3s. The others are less common, despite the impression the photos in this posting may give.
Electrification of part of the the system is planned for the next few years.
I commute every day from Modiin to Herzliya by rail - just under an hour's ride including changing trains at Tel Aviv, so the pics reflect this.
Ridership has been growing astronomically, as shown in the following chart, from the Israel Railways website:
The following are pictures that I have taken recently. They were all taken with my cellphone camera, so please excuse the sometimes less-than-perfect quality.
First of all, a map of the system. Two new stations do not appear on the map; Petah Tikva Kiryat Arye and Lod Ganei Aviv:
Since I live in Modiin, the first pictures are from the recently opened Modiin Central (Modiin Merkaz) station. It is the only station in the country that is entirely underground:
Escalator to the surface:
Exit into ticket hall:
Platform 4:
Modiin Outskirts (Paatey Modiin) station taken through the window of a train:
My train pulls into Tel Aviv Central station.
A double-deck train pulls into platform 2 of Tel Aviv Central station:
Northbound single deck push-pull train pulls into platform 1 of Tel Aviv Central:
A double-deck train at Herzliya station:
Inside a double-deck train:
A Danish IC3 train at Herzliya:
Tel Aviv Hashalom station:
Tel Aviv University station:
Moving the locomotive to the other end of a very old train at Modiin Central. There aren't all that many of these old crocks left. They still have slam-doors and can only be pulled by the locomotive.:
Mind the Gap:
Since I could find no thread on Israeli trains, I decided it was time to add one.
Israel's railway system were sadly neglected for several decades, and degenerated into a very poor state.
Some time in the 1990s the government realised that the road system could not handle the rapidly rising levels of traffic, and decided to begin serious investment in the railways. Since then, the system has been undergoing a rapid process of modernisation and expansion, so that today, at least to a number of major destinations, it is a seriously viable method of transport.
There are 4 types of train in use, all diesel, and all of which appear in the pics below. Of the four types, the most common are the Bombardier double deckers, followed by the Danish IC3s. The others are less common, despite the impression the photos in this posting may give.
Electrification of part of the the system is planned for the next few years.
I commute every day from Modiin to Herzliya by rail - just under an hour's ride including changing trains at Tel Aviv, so the pics reflect this.
Ridership has been growing astronomically, as shown in the following chart, from the Israel Railways website:

The following are pictures that I have taken recently. They were all taken with my cellphone camera, so please excuse the sometimes less-than-perfect quality.
First of all, a map of the system. Two new stations do not appear on the map; Petah Tikva Kiryat Arye and Lod Ganei Aviv:

Since I live in Modiin, the first pictures are from the recently opened Modiin Central (Modiin Merkaz) station. It is the only station in the country that is entirely underground:
Escalator to the surface:
.jpg)
Exit into ticket hall:
.jpg)
Platform 4:
.jpg)
Modiin Outskirts (Paatey Modiin) station taken through the window of a train:
.jpg)
My train pulls into Tel Aviv Central station.
.jpg)
A double-deck train pulls into platform 2 of Tel Aviv Central station:
.jpg)
.jpg)
Northbound single deck push-pull train pulls into platform 1 of Tel Aviv Central:
.jpg)
A double-deck train at Herzliya station:

Inside a double-deck train:
.jpg)
A Danish IC3 train at Herzliya:
.jpg)
.jpg)
Tel Aviv Hashalom station:
.jpg)
Tel Aviv University station:
.jpg)
.jpg)
Moving the locomotive to the other end of a very old train at Modiin Central. There aren't all that many of these old crocks left. They still have slam-doors and can only be pulled by the locomotive.:
.jpg)
.jpg)
Mind the Gap:
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