Because of its central position in the Negev it is situated on important national routes reaching down to the far southern port of Eilat.
The inter city bus service connects northwards to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, westwards to Sderot and Ashkelon, eastwards to Arad and Dimona and southwards to Mitzpe Ramon and Eilat.
Until 2012, the railway to Beersheba used a slow single-track configuration with sharp curves and many level crossings which limited train speed.
The rebuilding effort cost NIS 2.8 billion and significantly reduced the travel time from Tel Aviv and Haifa to Beersheba.
[1] The current travel time to Tel Aviv is approximately one hour though this is expected to be reduced in the future as Israel Railways adds faster rolling stock to its fleet.