Trip to Israel - March/April 2022
General Notes
A first and very enjoyable trip to Israel for me, based on the PTG Tours' "Railways of Israel" Enthusiast tour in March and April 2022. I was able to travel over all the available passenger lines in Israel, and most of the freight-only lines.
Operating Company Abbreviations
- IR - Israel Railways (Rakevet Yisra'el רַכֶּבֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל) - train operator in Israel.
Track gauge
Standard (1435 mm) gauge.
| Place | Arrive | Depart | Train | Traction details & notes |
Saturday 26th March 2022
| Timperley | 06:17 | Manchester tram 3052 | ||
| St Peters Square | 06:38 | |||
| Manchester Oxford Road | 06:45 | Transport for Wales DMU 175001 dep 5 late | ||
| Manchester Piccadilly | 06:56 | 07:15 | Avanti West Coast EMU 390 154 via Stoke - Hixon | |
| Milton Keynes Central | 08:50 | 09:00 | '99' | bus |
| Luton Airport [LTN] | 10:10 | 13:55 | W9-4451 | WizzAir Airbus A321-271NX G-WUKP push-back 13:55, take-off 14:14 from runway 07 |
| Ben Gurion/Tel Aviv Aiport [TLV] | 21:55 | 23:30 | PTG bus | |
| Hotel | 23:59 | |||
| Overnight: Hotel King Solomon in Netanya (north of Tel Aviv) (1st of 2 nights). | ||||
| Notes: Home to Netanya including flying from Luton to Tel Aviv. |
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Sunday 27th March 2022
| Hotel King Solomon, Netanya | 10:42 | taxi | ||
| Netanya | 10:57 | 11:27 | 243 | IR DL 731 |
| Tel Aviv-HaHagana | 11:59 | 12:16 | 637 | IR EL 3004 |
| Yavne-West | 12:45 | 13:16 | 646 | IR EL 3004 (P) |
| Rosh Ha'Ayin-North | 14:20 | 14:42 | 649 | IR EL 3004 |
| Tel Aviv-University | 15:02 | 15:05 | 968 | IR DL 762 (P) |
| Hertsliya | 15:15 | 15:49 | 8655 | IR EMU set 402 |
| Ra'anana West | 15:54 | 16:09 | 8652 | IR EMU set 402 |
| Hertsliya | 16:16 | 16:24 | 757 | IR EMU set 604 |
| Ben Gurion Airport | 16:54 | 17:20 | 171 | IR DL 739 |
| Modi'in-Center | 17:44 | 17:48 | 176 | IR DL 1409 (P) |
| Tel Aviv-University | 18:31 | 18:35 | 526 | IR DL 1318 (P) |
| Netanya | 19:00 | 19:41 | PTG bus | |
| Hotel King Solomon, Netanya | 19:55 | |||
| Overnight: Hotel King Solomon in Netanya (north of Tel Aviv) (2nd of 2 nights). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes: Free day, though we had to wait at the hotel until our negative Covid tests had arrived. A signalling cable was accidentally cut south of Lod which caused big delays and service changes, so my plans went out of the window fairly quickly..... but I did do the line from Hertsliya to Ra'anana West - truncated due to an engineering block - which was not possible later in the week due to even more engineering works. |
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Monday 28th March 2022
| Hotel King Solomon, Netanya | 07:33 | PTG bus | ||
| Bnei Brak | 08:30 | 09:01 | IR DL 604 + DL 764 + 2C + DT 302 PTG charter train | |
| via Tel Aviv-University - Tel Aviv-HaHagana - Ashdod (10:08/10:14 reverse) - Ashdod Port (10:55/11:07 reverse) - Ashdod Yard - Ashdod (12:25) - Ashkelon - “Heletz” freight only line (photo stop 12:40/13:10) - Be'er Sheva-North/University - Ramat Hovav (freight line; 14:29/15:10 reverse) | ||||
| Be'er Sheva-North/University | 15:45 | 16:10 | 974 | IR DL 1303 (P) via Ashdod |
| Lod | 17:42 | 17:43 | 973 | IR DL 1312 dep 5 late - via Ashdod |
| Be'er Sheva-Center | 19:26 | walk to hotel | ||
| Overnight: Hotel Leonardo Negev in Be'er Sheva (1 night). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes: PTG bus from Hotel King Solomon in Netanya to Bnei Brak station; then PTG charter train to Be'er Sheva-North/University. Then by service trains via Netivot to Lod and return to Be'er Sheva-Center. The charter train should have run directly via Lod to Ashdod Port, but the previous day's cable cutting incident south of Lod was still affecting services so we were diverted via Tel Aviv, losing two freight-only curves in the process. |
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Tuesday 29th March 2022
| Hotel Leonardo Negev, Be'er Sheva | 08:00 | PTG bus | ||
| Be'er Sheva-North/University | 08:12 | 08:54 | IR DL 604 + DL 764 + 2C + DT 302 PTG charter train | |
| Dimona | 09:30 | depot visit | ||
| Dimona | 10:40 | IR DL 705 + DL 764 + 2C + DT 302 PTG charter train | ||
| via Mamshit Junction loop (10:55/11:36) - Tzefa works (12:00/12:49, reverse) - Mamshit Junction loop (13:13/13:22, reverse) - Tzin km 168.8 (15:00/15:24, reverse) - photo stop at viaduct km 150.4 (16:10/16:51) - Mamshit Junction (17:53) - Dimona (18:06/18:14) - Be'er Sheva-North/University (18:46/18:53) - Kiryat Gat (19:24) - Lod (20:01/20?06) - Rosh Ha-Ayin South south-west curve | ||||
| Bnei Brak | 20:36 | 20:57 | 673 | IR EL 3003 |
| Tel Aviv-Savidor Center | 21:07 | walk to hotel | ||
| Overnight: Leonardo City Tower, Tel Aviv (1 night). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes: Before breakfast I walked to the former 'Turkish' station in Be'er Sheva, opened during the First World War when the area was under Ottoman control. Back to the hotel for breakfast then PTG bus to Be'er Sheva-North/University station. Then by PTG charter train to Dimona, where a depot visit was made (Be'er Sheva to Dimona normally has an infrequent passenger service, but this is not running at the moment). Then the PTG charter continued on freight-only line into the Negev desert to Mamshit Junction where a photo stop and run past was made awaiting a path. Next a visit was made to Tzefa where we were able to alight to view some of the shunting operations. Returning to Mamshit Junction we had hoped to use the third side of the triangle there but this was not possible. After a reversal we continued over the 18 km freight line to Tzin, this line (and the works there) now being out of use. Returning via Mamshit Junction and Dimona, we continued via Kiryat Gat, Lod and the south to west curve at Rosh Ha-Ayin South, terminating at Bnei Brak. A service train was taken to Tel Aviv-Savidor Center, close to our hotel the Leonardo City Tower. |
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Wednesday 30th March 2022
| Tel Aviv-Savidor Centre | 07:25 | 620 | IR EL 3018 (P) | |
| Bnei Brak | 07:34 | 08:05 | IR DT 205 + 2C + DL 764 + DL 705 PTG charter train dep 29 late | |
| via Tel Baruc north curve - Netanya (09:03) - Haifa East (10:01/10:07) - Haifa Depot (depot visit 10:13/12:08) - track 17 - Kishon Port (reverse 12:34/12:52) - track 17 (reverse 13:06/13:10) - Haifa Kishon workshops road 25 (workshop visit, reverse 13:29/14:07) - Haifa East track 6 (museum visit 14:28/15:27) | ||||
| Haifa Haifa Center-HaSchmona | 15:29 | 15:45 | PTG bus | |
| Hotel | 15:49 | walk to station | ||
| Haifa Haifa Center-HaSchmona | 16:35 | 170 | IR DL 758 | |
| HaMifrats Central | 16:41 | 17:11 | 87 | IR DMU 7226+7250+7236 found new cable car not (yet?) working |
| Haifa - Bet Galim | 17:21 | |||
| Cable Car lower terminus | 17:40 | Bet Galim - Mount Carmel cable car 4 | ||
| Cable Car upper terminus | 17:43 | 18:15 | Bet Galim - Mount Carmel cable car 4 | |
| Cable Car lower terminus | 18:18 | |||
| Haifa - Bet Galim | 18:48 | 422 | IR DL 1302 (P) | |
| Haifa Haifa Center-HaSchmona | 18:51 | |||
| Downtown | 19:12 | Haifa - Carmel Funicular 1 | ||
| Carmel Center | 19:21 | 20:47 | Haifa - Carmel Funicular 2 | |
| Downtown | 20:56 | |||
| Overnight: Hotel in Haifa (1st of 2 nights). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes: With our luggage on a PTG bus, a service train was taken from Tel Aviv-Savidor Centre to Bnei Brak where we joined the PTG charter train - 705 and 764 doing the honours again. Departing westwards we took the normally-non-passenger north curve of the Tel Baruch triangular junction, then continued northwards towards Haifa. At Haifa Center-HaSchmona we diverged onto the goods lines and paused alongside the depot at Haifa for an organised visit. Continuing on freight track we then visited Kishon Port, this time being allowed to alight for photographs. A reversal back at Haifa saw us pay an organised visit to the railway workshops at Kishon. The train then returned to Haifa East for a visit to the museum there, before the short run to Haifa Center-HaSchmona where we took "our" bus the short distance to the Hotel. After a brief freshen-up a group of us tried to visit the brand new cable car from HaMifrats Central Station, travelling there by service train. Unfortunately the cable car wasn't yet in use, despite various press releases saying that it was; so we caught a service train back west to Haifa-Bat Galim station; a fair walk then led to the Bet Galim - Mount Carmel cable car. Time for a beer before getting the service train back to Haifa Center-HaSchmona for the walk to the Haifa - Carmel funicular railway, which is completely underground and runs for several kilometres. Dinner was taken near the top station "Carmel Center" before descending back to "Downtown" for a further beer. |
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Thursday 31st March 2022
| Haifa Haifa Center-HaSchmona | 08:52 | 157 | IR DL 767 | |
| Ben Gurion Airport | 10:19 | 10:26 | 736 | IR EL 3026 wrong line Lod Jn - Anava East Jn |
| Jerusalem - Yitzhak Navon | 10:52 | |||
| Central Station | 11:16 | Jerusalem tram 3+45 | ||
| Kiryat Moshe | 11:18 | 11:29 | Jerusalem tram 38+44 | |
| Central Station | 11:31 | |||
| Jerusalem - Yitzhak Navon | 11:56 | 564 | IR EMU set 604 via new curve, first day of operation, burrowing junctions | |
| Modi'in Center | 12:24 | 13:06 | IR EMU set 604 via new curve, first day of operation, inside junctions | |
| Jerusalem - Yitzhak Navon | 13:35 | |||
| Central Station | 13:52 | Jerusalem tram 17+41 | ||
| Mount Herzl | 14:00 | 14:04 | Jerusalem tram 23+6 | |
| Jaffa Center | 14:21 | |||
| Jaffa Light Rail Station | 14:29 | '78' | bus | |
| David Remez | 14:38 | 15:54 | '78' | bus visited 1892 Jerusalem railway station |
| Jaffa Center | 16:05 | 16:08 | Jerusalem tram 8+18 | |
| Central Station | 16:15 | |||
| Central Bus Station | 16:30 | '420' | bus | |
| Bet Shemesh | 17:00 | 17:48 | 526 | IR DL 751 (P) |
| Tel Aviv-HaHagana | 18:29 | 18:33 | 269 | IR DL 777 |
| Lod | 18:49 | 19:22 | 426 | IR DL 1316 (P) |
| Haifa Haifa Center-HaSchmona | 20:52 | |||
| Overnight: Hotel in Haifa (2nd of 2 nights). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes: Starting and finishing in Haifa using scheduled service trains; we had found out that today was the first day of operation of a service between Modi'in and Jerusalem via a newly constructed curve. Unfortunately plans were disrupted by a train cancellation so we had less time in Jerusalem than intended. We travelled from Haifa Center-HaSchmona via Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion Airport, this train should have continued to Modi'in-Center. Hastily re-arranging plans, we caught a service to Jerusalem-Yitzhak Navon, where we had time for a short tram ride one stop to Kiryat Moshe and back. Then we used one of the new services to Modi'in-Center and back, to cover both sides of the burrowing junction off the Jerusalem line. At Jerusalem we caught a tram to the southern terminus, Mount Herzl, and back past Central Station to Jaffa Center, where we caught a '78' bus to the David Remez stop. We then spent over an hour at the original 1892 railway station in Jerusalem, now a part museum part shopping centre. Then we caught the '78 ' bus and a tram back to Central Station, then a '420' bus to Bet Shemesh. This fed into a train towards Tel Aviv, though some of us did a return move between HaHagana and Lod to cover both sides of the burrowing junction onto the airport line. From Lod we continued to Haifa. |
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Friday 1st April 2022
| Haifa Haifa Center-HaSchmona | 08:48 | 6104 | IR DL 757 (P) | |
| Nahariya | 09:28 | 09:59 | 6109 | IR DL 757 |
| Kiryat Motzkin | 10:17 | 10:37 | 6448 | IR DL 1316 (P) |
| Karmiel | 11:03 | 11:26 | 6451 | IR DL 1316 |
| Haifa Haifa Center-HaSchmona | 12:05 | 12:30 | 6076 | IR DMU 7244+7240 |
| Bet She'an | 13:21 | 13:35 | 6077 | IR DMU 7240+7244 |
| Haifa Haifa Center-HaSchmona | 14:23 | ??:?? | PTG bus | |
| Hotel Leonardo City Tower, Tel Aviv | ??:?? | |||
| Overnight: Leonardo City Tower, Tel Aviv (1 night). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes: Starting and finishing in Haifa using scheduled service trains, but with a bus to Tel Aviv in the afternoon for the final overnight hotel. We covered the three northern termini by travelling from Haifa Center-HaSchmona to Nahariya, back to Kiryat Motzkin, then to Karmeil, back to Haifa Center-HaSchmona, then to Bet She'an and finally back to Haifa Center-HaSchmona on the last train of the day in the area due to the Sabbath. |
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Saturday 2nd April 2022
| Leonardo City Tower Hotel | 11:30 | PTG bus | ||
| Ben Gurion/Tel Aviv Airport [TLV] | 11:55 | 15:20 | EZY2084 | EasyJet G-UZHL Airbus A320-251N push-back 15:37, take-off 15:50 from runway 28 |
| Luton Airport [LTN] | 18:45 | 20:20 | '99' | landed 19:05 on runway 07, on stand 19:08 - bus |
| Milton Keynes Central | 21:27 | 21:46 | Avanti West Coast EMU 390 126 dep 39 late, delayed by earlier incident; diverted via Northampton; via Lichfield - Stafford - Crewe | |
| Stockport | 23:26 | 00:55 | arr 62 late - railway-supplied taxi | |
| Timperley | 01:15 | |||
| Notes: Tel Aviv to Home including flying to Luton. |
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