Haifa-Tel Aviv High-Speed Rail Expansion Wins Committee Approval

Israel's National Infrastructure Committee authorized the Transport Ministry to begin upgrading and expanding the 68-kilometer Coastal Railway between Hof HaCarmel and Shefayim. The plan will create four tracks, separating intercity trains designed for speeds up to 250 km/h from suburban and regional service, with new stations planned near Binyamina-Or Akiva and Zikhron Ya'akov. The ministry says limited-stop trains should eventually cut Haifa-Tel Aviv travel to about 30 minutes and capacity may reach 30,000 passengers per peak hour in each direction. Israel Railways told Hebrew media that work on this newly approved segment still requires a tender, while full project completion is scheduled for late 2034.