The Ashkelon–Beersheba railway is a railway line linking

Ashkelon Ashkelon ( ; , ; ) or Ashqelon, is a coastal city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The modern city i ...

and

Beersheba Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most p ...

operated by Israel Railways. It spans approximately 60 km of

double track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most li ...

in the northern

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

region of southern Israel and provides rail service to the cities of

Sderot Sderot (, , ; , sometimes Romanized as "Sederot") is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel. In , it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza St ...

, Netivot and

Ofakim Ofakim () is a city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel, 20 kilometers (12.4 mi) west of Beersheba. It achieved municipal status in 1955. It has an area of 10,000 dunams (~3.9 sq mi; 10 km2). In , it had a populatio ...

. The line links Beersheba, Sderot, Netivot, and Ofakim to Ashkelon and Tel Aviv.

Route and construction timeline

The line is composed of three sections: *A reconstruction and double-tracking of a part of the historic Ashkelon– Gaza coastal railway between Ashkelon and Yad Mordechai, parts of which were previously dismantled since the early 1970s. *A brand new railway between Yad Mordechai and Goral junction on the Railway to Beersheba. This section contains the new Sderot, Netivot and Ofakim stations. *An existing section of the Railway to Beersheba between Goral and Beersheba. The connection between the new railway heading from Ofakim to the Railway to Beersheba is achieved using a

flying junction A flying junction or flyover is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "gr ...

at Goral. This section is intended to be triple-tracked in a future follow-up project, with some bridges along the route already having been widened to accommodate three tracks. The line includes three new road bridges, 18 rail bridges, four grade separations and 11 bridge or tunnel passages for farming equipment.

Construction progress

The line was constructed in stages with the Sderot station opening first, followed by the Netivot station. Construction of the railway to Beersheba was completed in August 2015, except for the Ofakim station. Service to Beersheba started on September 17, 2015 after a dedication ceremony by Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

. The Ofakim station was opened on December 31, 2015.

Electrification

Works to electrify the line using 25kV 50Hz AC overhead line are expected to begin in 2023.

Services

The railway serves a new intercity line between Beersheba and Tel Aviv through the communities of the northern Negev, as well as stopping in existing railway stations in Ashkelon,

Ashdod Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...

Yavne Yavne () is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel. In 2022, it had a population of 56,232. Modern Yavne was established in 1949. It is located near the ruins of the ancient town of Yibna (known also as Jamnia and Jab ...

, and

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...

. The railway is also expected to serve freight trains, supplementing the current freight service via the railway to Beersheba and the Heletz railway.

External links

Aerial video of the construction works between Sderot and Goral

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashkelon-Beersheba railway Standard-gauge railways in Israel