Transport in Israel
Transportation in Israel is based mainly on private motor vehicles and bus service and an expanding railway network.
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.
Route 6, the Trans Israel Highway, starts just east of Haifa down to the outskirts of Beer Sheva, about 200 km (120 mi).
Route 90 is the longest road in Israel streaching from Metula to Eilat via the Jordan Valley and Arava.
Tel Aviv has a growing network of bike paths, with more than over 360 kilometers (224 miles) existing or planned.
[4] 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.
In March 2024, Israel launched a reform intended to encourage use of public transport by decreasing prices.
As the price of public transport in Israel is relatively low, probably more lines, bus lanes and higher frequency can cause even bigger effect.
On August 5, 2010, the Ministry of Transport opened a website that contained information about public bus and train routes in the country.
The shared sherut service usually appears a yellow minivans and travel along the same path as the normal buses with identical route numbers.
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.
[6] Many of Israel's railway lines were constructed before the founding of the state during Ottoman and British rule.
These and other extensive infrastructure improvements led to a 20-fold increase in the number of passengers served by Israel Railways between 1990 and 2015.
After numerous delays due to the complexity of the project, a new line between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem opened in 2019.
All existing and future electrified mainline railways in Israel use 25 kV 50 Hz overhead electrification.
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.
[18] 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.
Scheduled domestic air service is available between Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and Haifa, Rosh Pina, the Golan Heights, and the southern city of Eilat.
The maximum allowed speed is 13 km/h (8.1 mph), enforced by electronic restriction put in place by the importer.
