Israel Railways Announces Major Schedule Overhaul With Direct Jerusalem Trains
Israel Railways and the Ministry of Transport announced a major timetable revision starting November 14, introducing direct trains from northern stations to Jerusalem while altering several existing routes.
Israel Railways and the Ministry of Transport have announced a major timetable revision, taking effect on Saturday evening, November 14, introducing direct train services from Hadera West, Netanya, and Beit Yehoshua to Ben Gurion Airport and Jerusalem. While expanding service and adding seating capacity, the changes also involve the elimination of certain stops and alterations to existing lines, which in some cases will extend travel times.
Under the new schedule, the Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon–Tel Aviv–Herzliya line will be extended northward, stopping at Beit Yehoshua, Netanya, and Hadera West. This means passengers from these three stations will be able to travel directly to Ben Gurion Airport and Jerusalem without transfers. Additionally, off-peak train frequencies at these stations will be increased.
According to Israel Railways, the modifications will add approximately 140,000 daily seating positions across Hadera West, Netanya, Beit Yehoshua, Herzliya, Tel Aviv University, and Lod Ganei Aviv. On select routes, diesel trains will be replaced by new, high-capacity electric trains.
Longer Commutes for Northern Passengers
Alongside the service improvements toward Tel Aviv, the airport, and Jerusalem, passengers traveling from Hadera West toward Haifa will face significant adjustments. Trains operating on the Beersheba–Carmiel line will no longer stop at Hadera West, requiring commuters between Hadera and Haifa to transfer at Binyamina. According to railway announcements, travel time on this route will increase by about 16 minutes.
Another change affects the Beit Shemesh–Netanya and Rehovot–Netanya peak-hour lines. These trains will now originate and terminate in Herzliya instead of Netanya or Tel Aviv Savidor Center, freeing up network capacity to support the northern expansion.
Further adjustments include morning trains on the Jezreel Valley line now stopping at Haifa Bat Galim, Haifa Hof HaCarmel, and Atlit. On the Binyamina–Ashkelon route, a new stop will be added at Ganei Aviv, enabling direct travel between Ganei Aviv and Kfar Chabad.
Railway officials explain that the service expansion was made possible by the operation of the Eastern Railway, the diversion of freight trains away from the coastal corridor, ongoing electrification projects, and the implementation of the ETCS Level 2 signaling system designed to increase train density on busy tracks.
The deployment of the new ETCS Level 2 signaling system, coupled with the extension of the Jerusalem–Tel Aviv–Herzliya line to Hadera, aims to prepare infrastructure for increased train frequencies along the Jerusalem–Herzliya axis. Following a successful pilot at Yitzhak Navon station, Israel Railways plans to add a third hourly train on the line in the near term, with a fourth train planned later to achieve a 15-minute frequency in each direction.
The restructuring follows record-breaking figures, with approximately 72 million rail journeys recorded in 2025 and daily passenger numbers exceeding 300,000 on average during the first half of 2026. Passengers are strongly advised to check updated schedules before traveling due to changes in departure times and station stops.
