| New Jezreel Valley railway מסילת העמק | |
| Type: | Commuter Rail |
| Start: | HaMifrats Central railway station (Haifa) |
| End: | Beit She'an railway station |
| Stations: | 5 |
| Open: | October 16, 2016 |
| Owner: | Israel Railways |
| Operator: | Israel Railways |
| Linelength: | 60km (40miles) |
| Gauge: | 1435 mm |
The Jezreel Valley Railway (Hebrew: מסילת העמק) is a railway of Israel Railways (IR), which connects Haifa with Beit She'an in the Jezreel Valley. The railway line was opened to the public on October 16, 2016.[1]
The railway passes almost identically on the old western section of the former Haifa - Dar'ā railway line which was shut down in 1951. Since the 1990s, there have been repeated attempts to re-create the Jezreel Valley railway line. On the one hand, this is one of the most productive agricultural areas of Israel, on the other hand, the traffic in the Greater Haifa area, especially by commuters, is heavily overloaded.
In 2011, the plans for the new railway line were approved. The construction of the line began in 2012, and the railway line was completed in 2016. On August 29, 2016, the route was inaugurated by the Israeli Minister of Transportation Israel Katz. The construction cost was just over $ 1 billion.[2]
The railway line was opened to the public on October 16, 2016.[1]
An extension of the railway line to Israel's border with Jordan, and maybe into Jordan, is currently being considered.[3]