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 לוד  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | 5 Yoseftal Ave., Lod |
| Coordinates | 31°56′45″N 34°52′32″E / 31.94583°N 34.87556°E |
| Platforms | 3 |
| Tracks | 6 |
| Construction | |
| Parking | 300 spaces |
| Bicycle facilities | 5 spaces |
| History | |
| Opened | 24 May 1891 |
| Rebuilt | 1917–1920; 2016–2020 |
| Electrified | 17 September 2022 |
| Passengers | |
| 2019 | 2,489,889[1] |
| Rank | 17 out of 68 |
Lod station is the 11th most used station of Israel Railways[2] 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.[3] In the late 2010s, the passenger 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 third biggest in Israel after Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon and Modi'in Central. 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.
In late 2021, Lod station's electronic signage was upgraded to display information in Arabic, in addition to Hebrew and English.
In 2024, the old station was restored to its Mandate-era condition, with one exception: a 1968 mural by Leah Majaro-Mintz, which was originally displayed in the Jerusalem-Khan railway station was added to the waiting room.
Access
editBus routes that stop outside the station are: Kavim lines 11, 150, 152, 239 and 461, and Egged line 249.
References
edit- ^ "2019 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report" (PDF). Israel Railways.
- ^ According to official Israel Railways ticket sales data in September 2008. Not including passengers using the station for transfer
- ^ Travis, Anthony S. (2009). On Chariots with Horses of Fire and Iron. Magnes Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-965-91147-0-2.
External links
edit| Preceding station |  Israel Railways
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tel Aviv–HaHagana towards Nahariya
|
Nahariya–Beersheba | Ramla towards Be'er Sheva–Center
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| Tel Aviv–HaHagana towards Karmiel
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Karmiel–Beersheba | Kiryat Gat towards Be'er Sheva–Center
| ||
| Lod–Ganei Aviv towards Binyamina
|
Binyamina–Beersheba | Be'er Ya'akov towards Be'er Sheva–Center
| ||
| Kfar Chabad towards Netanya
|
Netanya–Rehovot | Be'er Ya'akov towards Rehovot
| ||
| Lod–Ganei Aviv towards Netanya
|
Netanya–Beit Shemesh | Ramla towards Beit Shemesh
| ||