Transport in Israel
Transportation in Israel is based mainly on private motor vehicles and bus service and an expanding railway network. A lack of inland waterways and the small size of the country make air and water transport of only minor importance in domestic transportation, but they are vitally important for Israel's international transport links. Demands of population growth, political factors, the Israel Defense Forces, tourism and increased traffic set the pace for all sectors, being a major driver in the mobility transition towards railways and public transit while moving away from motorized road transport.[1] All facets of transportation in Israel are under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety.
Private transportation
Roads
Israel's road network spans 18,096 kilometers (11,244 mi) of roads,[2] of which 449 km (279 mi) are classified as freeways.[3] The network spans the whole country.
Route 6, the Trans Israel Highway, starts just east of Haifa down to the outskirts of Beer Sheva, about 200 km (120 mi). Route 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and Route 2 between Tel Aviv and Haifa are well maintained highways.
Cycling
Tel Aviv has a growing network of bike paths, with more than over 360 kilometers (224 miles) existing or planned.
National Bike Trail
The National Bike Trail, when completed will take riders from the southern city of Eilat to the border with Lebanon, passing though Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and several other cities.[4]
Ofnidan (Greater Tel Aviv Cycle Network)
As of 2021, construction was underway on Ofnidan, a cycle network of seven inter-urban routes connecting the cities of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, with some segments already open.
Public transportation
In March 2024, Israel launched a reform intended to encourage use of public transport by decreasing prices. The reform includes a 50% discount to those who live on the periphery and not in places with a high income, to disabled. 33% discount will be given to people in the age of 18-26 so that people get used to move on public transport. Discharged soldiers and those who have completed national service will ride for free during one year. The discount will be given only for a "monthly free" arrangement and not for a ticket for a single trip. As the price of public transport in Israel is relatively low, probably more lines, bus lanes and higher frequency can cause even bigger effect.[6]
Bus service
Buses are the country's main form of public transport. In 2017, bus passenger trips totaled approximately 740 million.[7] In 2009, 16 companies operated buses for public transport, totaling 5,939 buses and 8,470 drivers. Egged is Israel's largest bus company, and operates routes throughout the country.[8] Bus routes in some areas are operated by smaller carriers, the largest being the Dan Bus Company, operating routes in Gush Dan. Kavim is the next largest.
On August 5, 2010, the Ministry of Transport opened a website that contained information about public bus and train routes in the country.[9] Previously, information was given only by the individual public transit operators.[10]
Bus rapid transit
Israel has one bus rapid transit system in Haifa, called the Metronit, which consists of three lines connecting Haifa to its suburbs. In addition, there are BRT feeder lines to the Jerusalem Light Rail, running on dedicated bus lanes from Southern Jerusalem to the Northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot crossing the light rail line at the intersection of Jaffa and King George Streets.
Israel also has a share taxi service (Hebrew: שירות, sherut), run by several private companies, depending on location, in addition to regular taxicab services. The shared sherut service usually appears a yellow minivans and travel along the same path as the normal buses with identical route numbers. For a slightly higher price, the shared sherut service allows passengers to both hop on and hop off anywhere along the path of travel. During peak travel, often the time of travel can be shortened as the number of passengers is significantly small compared to normal bus services. Some routes continue to travel through the night and on Shabbat providing transport needs to the population when normal buses services cease. The beginning and end of the sherut vans may differ from the central bus station and on the weekends and evenings, the routes can also be altered for some services.[citation needed] In 2015, share taxis carried 34.7 million passengers, 15.2 million of which were transported on city routes, with the rest going to suburban and inter-city routes.[11]
Private taxis
Railways
- Total: 1,511 km 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (
Many of Israel's railway lines were constructed before the
Beginning in the mid-1960s, railway development stagnated, and a number of lines (notably, the Jezreel Valley railway and most of the
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
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.[15]
Light rail/Metro
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, in August 2023. A significant portion of it is underground, and two other lines are underway, the Green Line and 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.[16][17]
Haifa's
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 km, while 29.% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.[19]
Air transport
Israel
According to the
Israel has 29 airports with paved runways,[3] 18 unpaved landing strips,[3] and 3 heliports.[3]
Rank | Country | Passengers | Top Carriers |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Turkey | 1.99 million | AtlasGlobal, Pegasus, Turkish |
2 | United States | 1.54 million | Delta, El Al, United |
3 | Germany | 1.42 million | TUIfly
|
4 | France | 1.24 million | Sun D'or, Transavia, XL Airways
|
5 | Russia | 1.22 million | UTair Aviation
|
6 | Italy | 1.18 million | Sun D'or, Vueling
|
7 | United Kingdom | 1.15 million | Israir, Wizz Air
|
8 | Greece | 1.15 million | Sun D'or
|
9 | Spain | 897,488 | Vueling Airlines
|
10 | Ukraine | 843,442 | Sun D'or, Ukraine International, Yanair
|
11 | Switzerland | 653,496 | Arkia, EasyJet, El Al, Swiss |
12 | Romania | 694,122 | Air Bucharest, Arkia, Blue Air, El Al, TAROM, Wizz Air |
13 | Cyprus | 603,694 | Tus Airways
|
14 | Poland | 599,632 | Travel Service, Wizz Air
|
15 | Israel (domestic) | 580,191 | Israir
|
Ports and harbors
Mediterranean Sea
- Ashdod Port
- Haifa Port
Red Sea
On the
Merchant marine
- Total: 18 ships (with a tonnage of 1,000 gross tonnage (GT) or over) totaling 716,382 GT/845,053 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
- Ships by type: Cargo ship 1, Chemical tanker 1, Container ship 16 (2006)
Many ships owned and operated by Israeli companies operate under foreign
Cable cars
There are six tourist and leisure oriented cable car systems in Israel. These include the cable car in
Additional future plans include a system in western Haifa, and systems in Tiberias, Ma'alot-Tarshiha, Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim.[25]
Segway
In 2006, the
See also
References
- ^ "Transport Minister Michaeli: We Rank Private Vehicles as Lowest Priority, Pedestrians Highest".
- The MarkerMagazine (in Hebrew). p. 50.
- ^ a b c d The World Factbook
- ^ a b c Doe, John (April 30, 2005). "My Favorite Things, Part II". Encyclopedia of Things. Open Publishing. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ "Tel-O-Fun". Tel Aviv Municipality. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ ETZION, UDI (12 March 2024). "The reform of public transport discounts will be launched in two weeks". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ a b Gutman, Lior (July 3, 2018). "שלוש שנים לפיצוץ גשר מעריב: איפה עומדים פרויקטי התחבורה של ישראל?" [Three Years After the Ma'ariv Bridge Demolition: What is the Status of Transportation Projects in Israel?]. Calcalist (in Hebrew). Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ Hazelcorn, Shahar (May 28, 2010). "Special: Which Bus Company Provides Acceptable Service". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2010-05-29.
- ^ "משרד התחבורה מידע לנוסע". www.bus.gov.il. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
- ^ "הגיע הזמן: הוקם אתר מידע לתחבורה ציבורית". Ynet. 5 August 2010.
- ^ Dori, Oren (May 18, 2017). "רפורמה במוניות השירות: משרד התחבורה יציג כ-100 קווים חדשים" [Share Taxi Reform: Transportation Ministry to Introduce About 100 New Lines]. TheMarker (in Hebrew). Retrieved May 23, 2017.
- ^ backpackisrael (2019-02-28). "Full Guide to Public Transportation in Israel". Backpack Israel. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Weissman, Shahar. "Annual Report, 2017" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Railways. pp. 22–24. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ "Table 19.3 – Railway Services" (PDF). Statistical Abstract of Israel 74. Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. September 13, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ Herb Keinon. (10 September 2023). "Israel as a regional transport hub: Could this pipe dream come true? - analysis". Jerusalem Post website Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ Burroughs, David (2023-08-18). "Tel Aviv Red Line opens". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ מרימים לתחתית: פרויקט המטרו של גוש דן | תמונת מצב
- ^ Be’er Sheva light rail project to proceed
- ^ "Israel Public Transportation Statistics". Global Public Transit Index by Moovit. Retrieved June 19, 2017. Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- ^ PORT2PORT - Israel's Trade Portal Archived 2011-07-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Israel special – Flag carrier El Al thrives despite high fuel costs and competition
- ^ "IAA Periodic Activity Reports for Ben Gurion Airport". IAA Website. Israel Airports Authority. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- ^ "Public Top 100". alphaliner.axsmarine.com. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ "Haifa". Weizmann Institute. Archived from the original on 2008-01-19. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- Israel HaYom(in Hebrew). Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ "Transportation regulations". rsa.gov.il. Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
- ^ Segwayz, Green Tour of Jerusalem Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine