Editing Transport in Israel (section)

== Railways==
{{main|Rail transport in Israel}}
{{See also|Israel Railways}}
* [[File:Siemens Desiro HC Israel Shaalavim 1.jpg|thumb|[[Siemens Desiro]], the main locomotive of Israel's electric train fleet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=BATRAK |first=OLEKSANDR |date=2024-01-24 |title=Israel continues to modernize its railway fleet |url=https://www.railway.supply/en/israel-continues-to-modernize-its-railway-fleet/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Railway Supply |language=en-US}}</ref>]]Total: 1,511&nbsp;km {{RailGauge|1435mm}} ([[standard gauge]]). In 2017 there were over 64 million passenger rides taken.<ref name="ir-report-2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.rail.co.il/support/Documents/דוח%20%20חוק%20חופש%20המידע%20חחמ%202017.pdf|title=Annual Report, 2017|author=Weissman, Shahar|publisher=[[Israel Railways]]|pages=22–24|language=he|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref><ref name="israel-cbs-2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2023/19.shnatontransportandroadsafety/st19_03.pdf|title=Table 19.3 – Railway Services|work=Statistical Abstract of Israel 74|publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]|date=September 13, 2023|accessdate=November 26, 2023}}</ref>
Many of Israel's railway lines were constructed before the [[Declaration of Independence (Israel)|founding of the state]] during [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Mandatory Palestine|British]] rule. The first line was the [[Jaffa–Jerusalem railway]], followed by the [[Jezreel Valley railway]], which formed part of the greater [[Hejaz railway]]. [[World War I]] brought the creation of multiple new lines out of military needs: Portions of what is now [[Coastal railway line, Israel|the Coastal railway]] were built simultaneously by the Turkish and British and later merged during the British Mandate. [[Railway to Beersheba|Southern lines]] were also built by the warring states—from the north by the Ottomans, and from [[Rafah]] in the west by the British.
[[File:תחנת הרכבת ירושלים – יצחק נבון, ינואר 2024 04.jpg|thumb|Yitzhak Navon train station, [[Jerusalem]]. ]]
Beginning in the mid-1960s, railway development stagnated, and a number of lines (notably, the Jezreel Valley railway and most of the [[Eastern Railway (Israel)|Eastern railway]]) were abandoned altogether.  Development restarted in the 1990s, the opening of [[Tel Aviv]]'s Ayalon railway in 1993 signaling a new era of rail development. Lines under construction in the 2000s include the [[high-speed railway to Jerusalem]], an extension of the coastal railway directly from Tel Aviv to [[Ashdod]] through the northern [[Shephelah]], and a line from [[Ashkelon]] to [[Beersheba]] via [[Sderot]], [[Netivot]] and [[Ofakim]], as well as a complete reconstruction of the line from [[Lod]] to Beersheba. These and other extensive infrastructure improvements led to a 20-fold increase in the number of passengers served by Israel Railways between 1990 and 2015.

After numerous delays due to the complexity of the project, a new line between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem opened in 2019. This line is the first electrified railway ever built in the country. Israel Railways has ordered [[Bombardier Traxx]] electric locomotives for use on this line and for other lines to be converted to electric operation. All existing and future electrified mainline railways in Israel use 25 kV 50&nbsp;Hz overhead electrification.

The [[2023 G20 New Delhi summit]] proposals included a transit corridor connecting India to the Middle East and Europe through Israel which had been part of earlier Israeli plans designed by [[Israel Katz]], a government transit minister.<ref>Herb Keinon. (10 September 2023). "Israel as a regional transport hub: Could this pipe dream come true? - analysis". [https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-758409 Jerusalem Post website]  Retrieved 11 September 2023.</ref>

===Light rail/Metro===
[[File:P1020134 Rame sur Jaffa street.JPG|thumb|right|[[Jerusalem Light Rail]] tram on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem]]
The 13-kilometre-long [[Jerusalem Light Rail]] system began operation in August 2011 and is being extended. The [[Tel Aviv Light Rail]], serving Tel Aviv and surrounding cities, has opened its first line, the [[Red Line (Tel Aviv Light Rail)|Red Line]], in August 2023. A significant portion of it is underground, and two other lines are underway, the [[Green Line (Tel Aviv Light Rail)|Green Line]] and [[Purple Line (Tel Aviv Light Rail)|Purple Line]]. A small portion of the Green Line will be underground while the Purple Line will be entirely above-ground. In addition, the [[Tel Aviv Metro]], a subway system which will serve Tel Aviv and neighboring cities in the [[Gush Dan]] area, is planned. It will consist of three lines labelled M1, M2, and M3. The first public opening is expected to occur in 2032.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burroughs |first=David |date=2023-08-18 |title=Tel Aviv Red Line opens |url=https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/light-rail/tel-aviv-red-line-opens/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=International Railway Journal |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hkgkpgqtd מרימים לתחתית: פרויקט המטרו של גוש דן | תמונת מצב]</ref>

Haifa's [[Carmelit]], an underground [[funicular railway]], was Israel's first subway line. It is listed in ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the shortest subway system in the world, being the second smallest track network (after the [[Tünel]] in [[Istanbul]],) but being the smallest "system" by virtue of being the only urban rail network in the city. The [[Haifa–Nazareth railway]], a planned light rail system from [[Haifa]] to [[Nazareth]], which will serve numerous cities and towns along the route, is planned to open in 2025. In August 2023, the construction of the [[Beersheba Light Rail]] was approved. The system will serve the city of Beersheba, as well as several towns and a military base near the city. It is expected to be completed in 2033.<ref>[https://www.railjournal.com/regions/middle-east/beer-sheva-light-rail-project-to-proceed/ Be’er Sheva light rail project to proceed]</ref>

===Israel Public Transportation Statistics===
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Israel, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 70 min. 22% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 16 min, while 25% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 13.6&nbsp;km, while 29.% travel for over 12&nbsp;km in a single direction.<ref>{{cite web|title=Israel Public Transportation Statistics|publisher= Global Public Transit Index by Moovit|url=https://moovitapp.com/insights/en/Moovit_Insights_Public_Transit_Index_Israel_Israel-1|access-date=June 19, 2017}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License].</ref>