Ramla railway station

Ramla railway station is a railway station in Ramla, Israel, on the Tel Aviv–Beit Shemesh–Jerusalem line. The station is located in the east of Ramla. The station is also on a section shared with the Be'er Sheva–Tel Aviv line, which branches out in a southerly direction about 3 km east of Ramla.

Ramla railway station
תחנת הרכבת רמלה
LocationEli Cohen Street, Ramla
Coordinates31°55′45.68″N 34°52′36.62″E
Owned byIsrael Railways
Line(s)Tel Aviv - Jerusalem
Platforms2
Tracks2
Construction
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedApril 1891
Closed1998
Rebuilt2003, 2012

History
Original Ramla station building, circa 1930

Ramla Station was built as part of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway, 22.5 km to the southeast of the Jaffa railway station; the first service to Jaffa began in April 1891. The original Jaffa railway station closed in 1948, when the line's western terminus was changed to Tel Aviv's Beit Hadar station (also known as the Customs House station), thus making Ramla the oldest active railway station in Israel.[1]

During the unrest of the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine the original station building was bombed by the Irgun on 27 May 1947.[2]

In the 1950s a small concrete halt was built. On August 14, 1998, the station was closed since the section of line between Jerusalem and the Beit Shemesh railway station ceased operating due to deteriorating track conditions.[3]

In 2001 it was decided to relocate the station to the west, closer to Ramla's city center and adjacent to the Ramla central bus station and civic center. The new Ramla station was opened on April 12, 2003, and service to Jerusalem resumed on April 9, 2005, the line having been completely renovated after being out of service for six years.

As part of the double-tracking and upgrading project of the Lod–Beersheba main line, the size of the station was doubled in 2012. Also as part of the project, the railway's route in the area was improved and actually no longer passes next to the original 1891–1998 station location (which was located at 31.9231°N 34.8809°E / 31.9231; 34.8809 (Ramla railway station (1891 until 1998))).

Ramla West railway station

When suburban service to the Rehovot railway station, on the Lod–Ashkelon line commenced in 1990, a halt named Ramla West constructed on the line just south of the then-level crossing (now grade separation) with Road 44. However, due to its inconvenient location it was not popular and was closed after just few months.

Services

There is hourly train service in each direction to and from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Trains to Be'er Sheva Center railway station stop at the station also at this time.

References
  1. Jaffa Station History, retrieved November 6, 2009
  2. The History of British Military Conflicts Since 1945 – Palestine, retrieved November 6, 2009
  3. Pasim.org - Jerusalem Line(s) Back on Track at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
Preceding station   Israel Railways   Following station
Towards: Nahariya
Lod		   Nahariya–Tel Aviv–Beersheba
Inter-City Service		   Towards: Beersheba Central
Mazkeret Batya
Towards: Netanya
Lod		   Netanya–Tel Aviv–Beit Shemesh
Inter-city Service		   Beit Shemesh
Terminus
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