Jerusalem Railway Station

Jerusalem Railway Station תחנת הרכבת ירושלים أورشليم القدس
Jerusalem Railway Station in 1978
Location	David Remez Street, Jerusalem
Line(s)	Tel Aviv – Jerusalem
Platforms	2
Tracks	4
History
Opened	26 September 1892
Closed	15 August 1998

[ ] Tel Aviv - Jerusalem inter-city line
Tel Aviv Central Tel Aviv HaShalom Tel Aviv HaHagana to Rishon LeZion Moshe Dayan Ayalon Highway (20) to Tel Aviv South, Jaffa to Ben Gurion Airport Highway 1 to Rosh HaA'yin Lod to Ashkelon Ramla Highway 431 to Be'er Sheva Central Trans-Israel Highway (6) Beit Shemesh Jerusalem Biblical Zoo Jerusalem Malha Jerusalem (Khan) Israel Rail Lines Map

The Jerusalem Railway Station (Hebrew: תחנת הרכבת ירושלים‎‎, Tahanat HaRakevet Yerushalayim) is a historic railway station in Jerusalem, Israel, located between Hebron Road and Bethlehem Road, near the German Colony. It was part of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway until its closure in 1998. When it was in operation it was also known as the Khan station for the old caravanserai building, now the Khan Theater, located across the road.

The station opened in 1892 as a terminus of the Jaffa–Jerusalem line, at the 86.6 kilometer mark and an elevation of 787 metres (2,582 ft). In 1998 this railway along with the station were closed and the station was not included in the restoration of the Tel Aviv – Jerusalem line, completed in 2005. The station lay neglected for many years, although the railway yard was used for annual events such as Hebrew Book Week. After undergoing an extensive restoration, it reopened as a culture and entertainment center in May 2013.

The idea to build a railway linking the coast with the Jerusalem was first raised in the middle of the 19th century by Dr. Conrad Schick, Moses Montefiore and others. The franchise for laying the railway was obtained from the Ottoman government by Joseph Navon, but due to financial difficulties, he had to sell the franchise to a French company which was set up to build the line – Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements.

In 1892, construction of the line from Jaffa to Jerusalem was finally completed. It was built along the "donkeys' trail", an ancient route ascending to Jerusalem which passed through Nahal Sorek and the Valley of Rephaim. The station was inaugurated on 26 September 1892 in the presence of the city's dignitaries, Jews and Arabs. Among those present at the ceremony was Eliezer Ben Yehuda, the reviver of the Hebrew language, which gave the train the literal name of – horse of the steel in Hebrew as the word Rakevet had not yet been created.