I want to travel on the old Jaffa to Jerusalem train after my walk

[BobM]

This is a long shot, but I am always impressed with the knowledge of contributors to Ivar's forum so here goes.

I plan to walk from Jaffa to Jerusalem in early December and will have some free time in Israel afterwards. I would like to ride the old Jaffa - Jerusalem train if it is possible.

It has a great story that I have pieced together: Steam trains are reliant on water sources so this railway followed Nahal Sorek (a river). It was built by the French in what was then Ottoman Palestine and opened in 1892 - the first railway in the Middle East. It was also the largest civil engineering project in the area at the time. It was largely responsible for opening up Jerusalem to modern tourism, and assisted in the growth of the city beyond the Old City walls. It's had a hard life: When the Ottomans ran it as allies of the Germans in World War 1, the British blew it up. When the British ran it as Palestine Railways during the British Mandate period from 1917 to 1948, the Israelis blew it up. And when the Israelis ran it from 1949 onwards with its starting point switched from Jaffa to Tel Aviv in the 1950s, the Palestinians blew it up. However, it has survived until today almost against the odds. The line has been refurbished as a scenic tourist route.

Can anyone point me to a site with information about the tourist timetable?

Bob M

 

[Kanga]

I don't know if this is the tourist train - but when I put in Jaffa to Jerusalem in Rome2Rio, this came up

 

[BobM]

I don't know if this is the tourist train - but when I put in Jaffa to Jerusalem in Rome2Rio, this came up

Thanks for that. There are two trains: A shiny new one that does the trip in about 30 minutes that I also hope to ride, and the old, more interesting one, that takes about 90 minutes. I think the Rome2Rio link refers to the new train.

Bob M

 

[Kanga]

Yes, I thought it likely. Maybe get be helpful though, to go onto the Israeli train site — there could be a link.

 

[BobM]

Yes, I thought it likely. Maybe get be helpful though, to go onto the Israeli train site — there could be a link.

While following up your tip, I found the answer from The Man in Seat 61

Bob M

 

[Kanga]

Great! I've used that website frequently myself. Very helpful.