Yarkon Railway

Yarkon Railway (Hebrew: מסילת הירקון‎, translit. mesilat ha-yarqon) is a double-track railroad following the course of Yarkon River in the central area of Israel, about 15 km in length, currently serving as the only connection between the Coastal Railway and the Eastern Railway.

The initial section of Yarkon Railway had been built in 1921, as a branch splitting off the Eastern Railway at Rosh HaAyin South railway station and going westwards into Petah Tikva for freight trains to bring citrus fruits from the orchards around Petah Tikva for shipment via the ports of Jaffa (accessible via Lydda) or Haifa (accessible via Hadera). The passenger service to Petah Tikva started in 1922. Trains going from Petah Tikva to Hadera, or vice versa, had to reverse at Rosh HaAyin.

After the establishment of State of Israel, it was deemed necessary to connect Tel Aviv to the rail network. For this purpose, Yarkon Railway was extended westwards into Bnei Brak, and the new station Tel Aviv North opened on 20 September 1949, with a through service to Haifa East railway station. The trains on this service still had to reverse at Rosh HaAyin. Petah Tikva railway station remained off the line between Bnei Brak and Rosh HaAyin, and consequently, this station was no longer served by passenger trains, although the freight service continued.

In the beginning of the 1950s, the Coastal Railway was extended southwards to reach Tel Aviv; thus, the significance of Tel Aviv North railway station, far at the outskirts of the city, diminished, and it had been renamed into Bnei Brak railway station. In 1953, the last section of Yarkon Railway opened to service, joining the Coastal Railway at Herzliya railway station.

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