Lod railway station

Lod railway station is an Israel Railways station in Lod, Israel, served by most railway lines of Israel Railways. The station is located in the HaRakevet district of south Lod. In December 2006, Lod Station served a daily average of 7,786 passengers.

Lod railway station
תחנת הרכבת לוד
Israel Railways
Location5 Yoseftal Ave., Lod
Coordinates31°56′45″N 34°52′32″E
Platforms3
Tracks6
Construction
Parking300 spaces
Bicycle facilities5 spaces
History
Opened24 May 1891 (1891-05-24)
Rebuilt1917–1920; 2016–2020

Lod station is the 11th most used station of Israel Railways[1] and is home to a major railway depot. It traces its history as such to the 19th century, when it was used as an interim station on the Jaffa-Jerusalem line, the first significant railway line in the Middle East. For many years Lod (then called Lydda) was the main railway hub of mandatory Palestine and later Israel as it sits at the intersection of several major rail lines located in the central part of the country. Also, before the establishment of the state of Israel, the Coastal Railway did not exist, neither did westbound spurs from the Eastern Railway and therefore all traffic from the north of the country bound for Tel Aviv and Jaffa had to first proceed southwards to Lod, then reroute northwest through the station.

The station's location was changed following World War I, when the British rebuilt the Jaffa–Jerusalem line to standard gauge. The original station building serves as a Magen David Adom station.[2] In the 2010s, the station was rebuilt again, and the new station building, around 500 m northeast from the 1910s-era passenger station, opened on 29 November 2020. The new station complex, around 6000 m² in area, is the second biggest in Israel after Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station. It is located next to the new Israel Railways headquarters building, relocated from Tel Aviv Savidor Central railway station in 2017. In 2021, Lod central bus station is expected to be relocated near the new railway station, forming a combined passenger station complex.

The sprawling site also houses a large rail yard and extensive rolling stock maintenance facilities.

Access

Bus routes that stop outside the station are: Kavim lines 11, 150, 152, 239 and 461, and Egged line 249.

References
  1. According to official Israel Railways ticket sales data in September 2008. Not including passengers using the station for transfer
  2. Travis, Anthony S. (2009). On Chariots with Horses of Fire and Iron. Magnes Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-965-91147-0-2.
Preceding station   Israel Railways   Following station
Towards: Nahariya
Tel Aviv HaHagana		   Nahariya–Tel Aviv–Beersheba
Inter-City Service		   Towards: Beersheba Central
Ramla
Towards: Netanya
Tel Aviv HaHagana		   Netanya–Tel Aviv–Beit Shemesh
Inter-City Service		   Towards: Beit Shemesh
Ramla
Towards: Binyamina
Kfar Chabad		   Binyamina/Netanya–Tel Aviv–Rehovot/Ashkelon
Suburban Service		   Towards: Ashkelon
Be'er Ya'akov
Towards: Netanya
Lod Ganei Aviv		   Netanya–Tel Aviv–Rishon LeZion
Suburban Service		   HaRishonim
Terminus
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