ISRAEL Railways (IR) and the Israeli transport and finance ministries are considering a recommendation by Louis Berger Group to construct a 26km twin-bore rail tunnel beneath Tel Aviv to double rail capacity through the city.

ISRAEL Railways celebrated a milestone in the construction of the $US 1bn Valley Line from Haifa Lev Hamifratz to Beit Shee'an on April 3, when contractor Leisco completed tracklaying on the 60km line.

ISRAEL Railways (IR) reported a net profit of Shekels 265m ($US 70m) in 2015, following a 9% increase in passengers using the network to 52.8 million during the year.

ISRAEL Railways (IR) published a international tender on March 20 for a contract to supply a fleet of 160km/h double-deck EMUs, and also confirmed it will exercise an option with Bombardier for additional locomotive-hauled double-deck coaches.

Israel's network expansion programme and technological upgrades are set to revolutionise rail transport in the country in the next four to five years. Kevin Smith visits facilities in Haifa and Lod to see how the railway is preparing for the transition.

Three major new line construction projects are underway in Israel which will extend the network to new areas and improve connectivity. Kevin Smith profiles the A1 Link, the Valley Line, and Acre - Carmiel line projects.

Once the butt of jokes for its poor reliability and slow journey times, Israel Railways is undergoing a radical transformation which promises to turn it into a competitive and viable means of transport for more and more people. CEO Boaz Tzafrir outlines to Kevin Smith how the company is delivering these improvements.

ISRAEL's transport minister Mr Israel Katz approved on February 3 what is claimed to be the country's largest railway budget which calls for an investment of Shekels 28.3bn ($US 7.24bn) until 2020.

THE start of construction on Jerusalem's third light rail line moved a step closer on January 28, when the Municipal Planning Committee granted approval for the Blue Line, which will link Gilo in the south with Ramot in the north.

ISRAEL Railways (IR) has issued an invitation to prequalify for a design-build contract for the trackside element of the first stage of its national ERTMS rollout.