Israel Rail Service Disrupted Until Sunday Due to Essential Infrastructure Work Near Kfar Chabad

Israel Railways is conducting vital infrastructure maintenance near Kfar Chabad starting Thursday morning through Sunday, causing significant service disruptions on key lines to Beersheba and Lod. The work, ordered by Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli, will temporarily close Kfar Chabad and Lod Ganei Aviv stations and suspend regular train service between Lod and Tel Aviv. Instead, a dedicated shuttle train will run between Lod and Tel Aviv Savidor Center, supplemented by free bus services and other travel alternatives. Normal train operations are expected to resume on Sunday.

Affected routes include the Beersheba-Nahariya and Beersheba-Karmiel lines, which will operate in two segments: Beersheba Center to Lod, and Tel Aviv HaHagana to Nahariya or Karmiel. Passengers traveling to or from Beersheba are advised to use the western route via Sderot and Netivot, which will run as usual. The Ashkelon-Binyamina line will also run split services between Ashkelon and Lod, and Tel Aviv HaHagana and Binyamina. The Rehovot-Netanya line will operate only between Tel Aviv Savidor Center and Netanya.

On Friday and Saturday night, the Beit Shemesh-Netanya line will run split services between Beit Shemesh and Lod, and Tel Aviv HaHagana and Netanya, with some stations skipped. A dedicated shuttle train will run hourly between Lod and Tel Aviv Savidor Center without intermediate stops. The western Negev line via Bat Yam, Holon, and Rishon LeZion will operate normally, and regular bus lines will be reinforced. Passengers are advised to arrive at stations earlier than usual.

Further disruptions are planned from July 16 to 18 near Nitzanim, affecting Ashdod and Ashkelon lines. During this period, trains on the Beersheba-Herzliya line will run split between Beersheba Center and Ashkelon, and Ashdod to Herzliya, with Ashkelon-Binyamina trains starting and ending at Ashdod instead of Ashkelon. Passengers traveling to or from Beersheba can use the route via Kiryat Gat and Lod, which will operate normally.

Israel Railways scheduled these works during summer weekdays to minimize passenger impact, as travel demand is lower. Tens of thousands of passengers are expected to be affected during this period.