Extreme Chaos Expected Today, Area Travelers Told to Avoid

A transport nightmare awaits drivers and public transport users in the Gush Dan area tonight (Thursday). A rare and complex combination of three major music concerts at the same time, alongside a declared “Day of Rage” and a series of protests by the Jerusalem Faction in the ultra-Orthodox public, are expected to cause road closures and extreme traffic congestion from the early afternoon hours. The broad recommendation to drivers and passengers is to set out much earlier than usual, consider switching entirely to public transportation or alternative routes, and stay updated throughout the day and evening through navigation apps and traffic reports.

More than 80,000 people at three stadiums The three major shows taking place tonight are located relatively close to one another, which will increase pressure on the main traffic arteries leading to the central cities: Omer Adam at the National Stadium in Ramat Gan, the main show is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. (gates will open earlier) and is expected to attract about 40,000 spectators. Eyal Golan at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, the artist is expected to go on stage around 8:00 p.m. (the first of two shows this week, the second on Saturday night) before about 30,000 people. Ben Zur at HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikva, will perform at the same time before about 11,000 spectators. The mass movement of tens of thousands of people simultaneously toward the stadium complexes from the late afternoon hours is expected to create huge traffic jams on city roads and at entrances to public and private parking lots in the area.

Jerusalem Faction protests, “strategic points in the center” Alongside the musical celebrations, the Committee to Save the World of Torah of the Jerusalem Faction announced last night that it is escalating its steps following the arrest of draft evaders from the army, and declared a “Day of Rage.” According to the organizers, the protests and blockades will begin already in the afternoon at a series of strategic transportation hubs in central Israel. Recently, similar protests led to prolonged blockades of the Geha Junction, the entrance to Jerusalem, and disruptions to Israel Railways traffic. Police are preparing with reinforced forces to prevent severe damage to the main routes, but there is serious concern about surprise blockades that will disrupt public transportation schedules and private vehicles.

Road closures in the Bloomfield area Israel Police has completed its preparations for Eyal Golan’s performances at Bloomfield. Officers from the Ayalon District, together with security guards and stewards, will be deployed on various routes. Starting at 4:30 p.m., the following streets in Tel Aviv will be closed to vehicle traffic: Emet Street, Sheerit Yisrael Street, Techiya Street. Police are calling on entertainment-seekers arriving by private car to park only in the organized nearby parking lots, and warn that heightened enforcement and towing of vehicles parked illegally and obstructing traffic will be carried out.

Israel Railways increases service, special trains tonight To ease congestion and help return tens of thousands of concertgoers home, Israel Railways will operate an expanded service tonight, including regular trains whose routes will be extended and special trains that will run in a “full and go” format at the end of the performances (departure times are approximate and subject to change depending on the end of the events):

From Petah Tikva Kiryat Arye station: To Beersheba Central, via Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv stations, Holon, Bat Yam, Rishon LeZion Moshe Dayan, Yavne West, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Negev stations, approximate departures at 11:00 p.m., 11:45 p.m., 11:59 p.m. To Nahariya, via Beit Yehoshua, Netanya, Hadera, Binyamina, Haifa and the Krayot stations, approximate departure at 9:10 p.m. To Ashkelon, via Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv stations, Lod, Be’er Yaakov, Rehovot and Yavne East, approximate departures at 11:35 p.m., 11:50 p.m., 12:10 a.m.

From Bnei Brak station: To Nahariya, via Herzliya, Beit Yehoshua, Netanya, Hadera, Binyamina, Haifa and the Krayot stations, approximate departures at 11:00 p.m., 11:45 p.m., 12:05 a.m. To Ashkelon, via Tel Aviv stations, Lod, Be’er Yaakov, Rehovot, Yavne East and Ashdod, approximate departures at 11:35 p.m., 11:50 p.m. To Herzliya via the Sharon ring, Petah Tikva Sgula, Rosh HaAyin, Kfar Saba, Hod HaSharon and Ra’anana, approximate departures at 11:35 p.m., 11:55 p.m. To Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon, via Tel Aviv stations and Ben Gurion Airport, approximate departure at 12:15 a.m. To Modi’in Central, via Tel Aviv stations, Ben Gurion Airport and Modi’in outskirts, approximate departure at 12:01 a.m.

Israel Railways recommends that concertgoers arrive at the stations as early as possible, and keep up to date with real-time changes in the official app, on the website, or through customer service at *5770.