At Ben Gurion one must change to a diesel train to conltinue to Tel Aviv.
The line includes nine bridges and five tunnels, and costs an estimated NIS 7 billion, against an initial estimate less than half that.Construction of the existing round-about original Jaffa–Jerusalem railway started March 31, 1890, scheduled to be finished by April 1, 1893. October 1890 saw the first test run, and on September 26, 1892, the line opened six months ahead of schedule! This new King David Line connecting Jerusalem’s Binyanei Ha’Ooma station to Tel Aviv (when completed) is being called the first electric railway line in Israel, but they forget that Jerusalem Light Rail is also an electric railway and has been operating for five years.
Our "anonoumous" friend has notified me that U-tube has the ride at:
daveklepper"Jerusalem Fast Line
Thanks for the heads up, out of curiousity, how fast is "fast"?
Dave: observations and questions
1. Did not notice any crossovers or turnouts ?
2. Many bridges and tunnels semed to be separated for each track. Is that to prevent complete shutdown in case of a single track structure failure ? War or Eqrthquake ?
3. Have forgotten . Propulsion CAT 25 kV 50 hZ ?
4. Type of signal system ?
There are, of course, crossovers at the throat of the Jerusalem Ststion, just west of the Junction of the branch to Modi'in that has had diesel commuter service to T. A. via Ben Gurion for some thtime, about 20 years, and east of the Ben Gurion Airport Station, as well as west of it.
Power is 25,000V, 50 Hz.
Signals are the regular IR color-light, three colors, but yellow and red simultaneous is a display, possibly also yellow and green, with CTC and automatic train stop.
The coaches are the regular bi-level (Bombardier or Alstom?), and what is the name of the German or Austrian locomotive builder that begins with a V?
Here are Steve's pictures:
Rode Jerusalem-Navon to Beit Shahn and back yesterday. No serious problems. Most trains just a few minutes late, others on-time. No difference to the passenger between electric and diesel, no difference in top speed, just the electric accelerates much much faster. And one of the single-level Siemans blue trains looked worn inside, rode less well than the normal very high standard of smoothness, and was too cool. Fortunately, had my jacket with me, so I really did not mind. Three trains ridden were the double-deckers. two the singles. Apparently, they are not using hotel power from the catenary but continue the use of the small hotel-power diesel in the cab-cars. Not certain about this. Catenary Airport - T. A. less than 5% toward completion!
What is most interesting is the abrupt transition from mountain scenery, sort of mineature Switzerlalnd in the summer, to flat plane developed orderly agricultural land, entering a tunnel with the first and emerging that the second. (Going from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion Airport)
The Haifa Beit Shahn line is siginle-track with passing sidings at stations, and with roadbed for double-track. Only place in Israel where right-hand running seems normal (other than light rail). Line built to be extended, all stations similar high-platform suburban-type stations including the Beit Shahn temporary terminal. On-line Afula, remembered from my first visit there 58 years ago as a sleepy agricultural town, apparently generates a huge sububan passenger business, judging from a massive and full station parking lot.
No food service on trains anymore. Not even a rolling cart. Good cafes with good fresh sandwiches as stations, however.
Double-deck with electric, Jer. - BG..light load. DD, BG-Heifa Central, half full, Modi'in - Naharia train. Single-Deck, Haifa Central - Beit Shahn, half-full leaving,tra same return to HC. HC - BG, SD, full, only train not in tip-top perfect condition. BG-Jer. DD, 1/3-full.
Currently, no specials are run regularly to connect with the Jer-BG trains, between Tel Aviv and BG, one uses the Modi'in- Naharia trains, which run express between T. A's 4 stations and Haifa's 4, stopping only at Benyamina between.
BG has only one platorm and two tracks. The southern track is used by the Jer. trains for discharge, reverce, and boarding. It is also used by trains from Modi'in. The northern track is used for trains to Mofi'in. The Jer. headed brains use a crossovr immediately east of the station tunnel and then use the same track as those to M until the flyover juntion about 7KM or 5 miles east. All trains are push-pull.
I saw freight activity near and at Haifa, mostly tank and covered hopper cars.
Oversight in not mentioning the uniform helpfulness and courtesy of railroad employees. This was the first time I used the railroad in over a year, although I do use Jerusalem's light rail almost daily, even thuough regular commute is by bus. In the meantime, the railroad had switched from cardboard ticket stock to magnetic, and in my case simply loading the information on the same RavKav (Many-Journey) plastic I use on the bus and light rail. This, along with some hearing loss, led to some confusion, until an e mployee helped. When he heard I was 86, he offered to excort me to the platform (in Jerusalem), but I declined the offer. At Haifa-Central, one agent opened the employee gate so I could leave the paid area to get a sandwich, and return without swiping my RavKav card, which might have triggered a completion-of-journey indication.
All trains were ckean, w ithout litter, including washrooms, which have very efficient retention toilets. No lack of paper of either variety was noticed, and hot-air driers were also available.
Announcements were intelligible, but only in Hebrew on the Beit Shahn train; Hebrew and English on the others. Signs at stations are in Arabic, as well as Hebrew and English.
Initially, for a three-month period from inauguration eight days ago, travel from Jerusalem's new central Navon Station is free to any point, but one must go through the reservation and magnetic card loading process as if one was paying. In my case, the entire trip was free. (I had expected to have to buy the return from Beit Shahn.) This may have been a special concession for my age and my direct return without actually leaving the Beit Shahn station. Once I learned to place by RavKav card on top of the turnstiles, I had no problem at any entrance or exit.
There was a Yamaha upright home-model piano on display at the Beit Shahn staition, which I happily used. Good acoustics, too! But nothing I could do would come anywhere close to a wonderful two-piano performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue last Sunday evening at the Mormon's building, neighbors of the Yeshiva, however, by an Israeli-born pianist and his oriental wife, one of the most thrilling concerts I ever attended. I bought their CD afterward. They used the Brigham Young branch's Steinways. Of course the beautiful view of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, through the glass upstage wall, helps as well. (The glass is double-layer, plastic between layers, admits a fraction of light, reflects sound efficiently, and provides thermal insulation as well.)
Should note that the pianists were Tami Kanazawa and her husband Yuval Admony. I've been playing their CD repeatedly.
Oh, the Jerusalem Municipality has now a "concrete piano" in front of city hall where any bystander can perform to the accomanyment of light-rail train sounds.
It is an electronic piano. But so are the light-rail-car ding-dong bells, and both are very realistic.
Mike suggested the New York Times URL:
Iaraeli Transportation Consultant Gazit sent pix of the new "Haifa Transortation Center (rail and bus) just railroad-north of the actual rail junction between the main line north, Haifa - Nahariah, and the new Valley line to Beit Shiahn, that I rode and described above. The station is in two parts for the two lines, with a connecting passage.
Where is everybody? Newspaper boxes are full, no people in sight.
Good question. I did not take the photos but assume they were taken just before dedication and opening.
I did ride through through the upper level both ways, and people were certainly using the station then.
On the trip to Beit Shahn, I did take a photo of the electric lomocotive on the Jerusalem - Ben Gurion train at the Jerusalem-Navon station:
Regular double-deck cars are in front, with a cab-car, also double-deck, at thehead, and the locomotive pushing. And at Beit Shan I photographed the diesel at the head-end, which will push the train back to Haifa. The coaches are the older single-level Siemens. Note that it is a side-platform through-station, with plans to extend the line both to Lake Kinneret (Lake Tiberious) and to Jordan.
Here is the tail-track at Beit Shahn. But my train did not use them, but began the return on the same track as the arrival.
I mentioned the contrast between mountains and farmland before at after the last tunnel when going from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion Airport:
THE TRAINS & TRAM SOCIETY OF ISRAEL.
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