By Pesach Benson • June 24, 2026
Jerusalem, 24 June, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Eastern Railway will begin passenger service on Sunday, opening a new rail corridor designed to improve connections between central Israel and communities in the Sharon region and Samaria.
The first phase will open stations in Hadera East, Shomron-Tayyaba and Tira-Kochav Yair, linking passengers to the wider national rail network through the upgraded Rosh HaAyin North station. Travel to Tel Aviv will take approximately 60 minutes from Hadera East, 46 minutes from Shomron-Tayyaba and 39 minutes from Tira-Kochav Yair.
Beyond reducing travel times, the new railway is expected to have broader economic and social implications by improving access to employment centers, universities, healthcare and commercial areas for hundreds of thousands of residents. The project also aims to ease congestion on Israel’s roads by providing an alternative to private vehicles and reducing pressure on existing rail routes through Tel Aviv.
The 64-kilometer electrified Rail Line, which runs between Hadera and Lod near Highway 6, is part of the Transportation Ministry’s “Connecting Israel” plan and is expected to increase national rail capacity by about 30 percent.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev called the opening “a historic moment” and said the line would “connect Samaria, Sharon and the Arab sector to the national rail network.”
Additional stations, including Shoham, Elad and Lod, are expected to be added in later phases of the project.