Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station explained

Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station
תחנת הרכבת ירושלים–יצחק נבון
محطة أورشليم – يتسحاق ناڤون
Native Name:
Type:Israel Railways inter-city rail station
Address:6 Shazar Avenue, Jerusalem
Coordinates:31.7882°N 35.2024°W
Operator:Israel Railways
Line:Tel Aviv–Jerusalem railway
Structure:Deep-level pylon three-vault station
Platforms:2
Tracks:4
Train Operators:Israel Railways
Connections:Jerusalem Central Bus Station, Jerusalem Light Rail
Depth:80m (260feet)
Architect:Barchana Architects
Architectural Style:Neo-futurism
Accessible:Yes
Website:rail.co.il
Opened:[1] [2]
Electrified:at opening
Passengers:1,651,659[3]
Pass Year:2020
Pass Rank:5 out of 68

Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon Railway Station (Hebrew: תחנת הרכבת ירושלים – יצחק נבון, Tahanat HaRakevet Yerushalaim–Yitzhak Navon; Arabic: محطة أورشليم – يتسحاق ناڤون), originally named Jerusalem–HaUma railway station is an Israel Railways passenger terminal in Jerusalem, located at 6 Shazar Avenue.[4]

The station is the eastern terminus of the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem railway. It is the world's deepest heavy-rail passenger station, with its platforms extending down to below street level. At the time of its opening, it was the fourth deepest underground station in the world and the deepest underground station outside the former Soviet Union; it is currently the sixth-deepest in the world, and the deepest in West Asia.[5] It is located across from Binyanei HaUma and constitutes part of a major public transportation hub, being situated adjacent to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station as well as next to a station serving current and future lines of the Jerusalem Light Rail.

The station is named after Jerusalem native Yitzhak Navon, the fifth President of Israel.

History

Construction of the station began in 2007 and was completed in 2018 at a cost of about NIS 500 million (appx. US$140 million).[6]

2,674,840 passengers boarded or disembarked at the station in 2019,[7] making it the 16th busiest station in the country overall at the time. As electrification works progressed northwards along the line, direct services from Tel Aviv were made possible without the need for a transfer at Ben-Gurion Airport and as a result the station's ridership rankings rose further – making it the fifth-busiest railway station in the country and the busiest outside of Tel Aviv (immediately above the previous holder of this title, Haifa Hof HaCarmel) with 1,651,659 passengers boarding or disembarking in 2020.

In 2021, 3,598,443 passengers embarked and disembarked, not only surpassing the (2019) pre-COVID traffic numbers, but also making Navon station the fourth-busiest in the network, above Tel Aviv University.[8]

In 2022, Navon Station reached a ridership of 6,536,393,[9] nearly double that of the previous year, placing it behind only the Savidor Central and HaShalom stations in central Tel Aviv. 2022 also marked the opening of a second line served by the station, connecting Jerusalem with Modi'in, as well as the beginning of nighttime services;[10] initially only between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv Savidor, with a stop at Ben Gurion Airport, these services were extended in 2023 to stop at Herzliya, Netanya, Hadera and Binyamina,[11] continuing well north of the daytime services (which still terminate at Herzliya).

Station structure

Due to the constraints of building the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem railway in a grade suitable for carrying passengers, the station platforms had to be built below street level, at the end of a tunnel leading to the railroad bridge over Emeq HaArazim.

The underground portion of the station is built as a pylon tri-vault. The side vaults each host one of the two island platforms, and are linked by three pairs of overpasses to the central vault. The length of the platforms is, and the temperature inside remains consistent year-round.

The central vault itself contains the escalators, high-speed elevators and stairways leading up to the surface vestibule above, where the station offices, ticket offices, station café and other services are located.

The surface vestibule is located at an elevation of, with most of the station's of floorspace located underground. The lion's share of the underground portion is home to vast logistical and operating areas. The station can double as a shelter in case of a conventional, biological or chemical attack, being able to provide refuge for 5,000 people. Due to the station's vast depth, its underground portion has large ventilation systems pulling in air directly from the surface level, which are also capable of quickly sucking out air in the event of a fire.

Future plans

As of 2022, additional surface entrances from the east and south are being added as part of a major urban re-development plan being carried out in the vicinity of the station.

There is a proposed plan to extend the railway from the station towards the Jerusalem–Malha railway station, via a new underground station in central Jerusalem and another underneath the historic Jerusalem-Khan train station.

Station layout

Platform numbers increase in a North-to-South direction

+1Street levelLight Rail, buses
Light Rail stationCentral Bus Station entrance
Side platform
SouthboundRed Line toward Mount Herzl
Northbound Red Line toward Heil Ha-Avir →
Side platform
Navon Station entrance
0Entrance levelExterior plaza, security checkpoint, ticket machines, underpass to Central Bus Station
-1Passenger hallFare control, ticket machines, station master's office, convenience store, station café, synagogue, toilets
-2Passageway to the platformsChildren's play area, station café, toilets
-3PlatformsPlatform 1← Returning<---Northbound trains are called רכבת חוזרת in Israel Railways Terminology---> toward Herzliya<---Binyamina---><---Kiryat Motzkin--->
← Returning toward Binyamina during night hours only, except on Wed.-Thu. nights
Island platform
Platform 2← Returning<---Northbound trains are called רכבת חוזרת in Israel Railways Terminology---> toward Herzliya<---Binyamina---><---Kiryat Motzkin--->
← Returning toward Binyamina during night hours only, except on Wed.-Thu. nights
Platform 3← Returning<---Northbound trains are called רכבת חוזרת in Israel Railways Terminology---> toward Herzliya<---Binyamina---><---Kiryat Motzkin---> ← Returning<-Northbound trains are called רכבת חוזרת in Israel Railways Terminology-> toward Modi'in Central --->
Island platform
Platform 4← Returning<

Ridership

Passengers boarding and disembarking by year
Year Passengers Rank Source
20226,536,393 2022 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report
20213,598,443 2021 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report
20201,651,659 2020 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report
20192,674,8402019 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.rail.co.il/en/pages/updates/jerusalem-naovn-opening.aspx Inauguration of the Yitzchak Navon Train Station in Jerusalem
  2. Opening of Jerusalem-Tel Aviv train route delayed by six months, Arutz Sheva, 21 February 2018
  3. Web site: 2020 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report . Israel Railways.
  4. Web site: ירושלים - יצחק נבון.
  5. Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon's depth is surpassed by:
  6. Web site: מפלצת תת-קרקעית: תחנת הרכבת החדשה יכולה לשנות את ירושלים - הארץ - הארץ . www.haaretz.co.il . 14 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180927065540/https://www.haaretz.co.il/.premium-MAGAZINE-1.6510606 . 27 September 2018 . dead.
  7. Web site: 2019 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report . Israel Railways.
  8. Web site: 2021 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report . Israel Railways.
  9. Web site: 2022 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report . Israel Railways.
  10. Web site: רכבת לילה לנתב"ג: שינויים דרמטיים בקווי רכבת ישראל | ישראל היום . 2 August 2023 .
  11. Web site: רכבות הלילה מתוגברות: הרכבת לנתב"ג תגיע עד בנימינה. אבי. יוסף. February 12, 2023. ביזנעס.