Good news for residents of the Sharon region and the coastal plain: The Transportation Ministry and Israel Railways announced on Monday a major change to the national train timetable, introducing direct train service from Hadera, Netanya, and Beit Yehoshua to Ben Gurion Airport and Jerusalem.

The new timetable will go into effect on Saturday night, November 14th. The change will include a significant increase in seating, improved frequency, and changes to the number of existing lines.

The major change is the northward expansion of the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Herzlia line to serve the Beit Yehoshua, Netanyahu, and Hadera West stations. For the first time, passengers from these stations can reach Ben Gurion Airport and Jerusalem without transferring trains mid-journey.

The new service will operate during all hours of the day, and train frequencies at Sharon region stations will be increased even during off-peak hours.

The move is intended to ease overcrowding on trains and improve connectivity between communities in the Sharon region and along the coastal plain and Jerusalem and Ben Gurion Airport. Until now, passengers traveling from these stations were required to change trains during their journey. Following the changes, they will be able to travel directly to their destinations.

Alongside the expanded service, Israel Railways will introduce modern electric trains with greater passenger capacity, replacing older diesel trains. According to the plan, the changes are expected to add approximately 140,000 seats per day to the national railway network.

However, the expansion of services to Jerusalem will also involve changes affecting passengers on other routes, including Hadera residents traveling north.

One significant change concerns the Be'er Sheva-Karmiel line. Once the new timetable takes effect, trains on this route will no longer stop at Hadera West station.

As a result, passengers traveling from Hadera toward Haifa will need to travel to Binyamina station and change trains there. According to the plan, this transfer is expected to increase northbound travel times by approximately 16 minutes.

Another change will affect the Beit Shemesh-Netanya and Rehovot-Netanya lines, which operate during peak hours. Under the new arrangement, these routes will be shortened, with Herzliya becoming their final stop throughout their operating hours.

This means the trains will no longer continue to Netanya. In cases where services previously terminated at Tel Aviv Savidor station, their final destination will be changed to Herzliya.

Israel Railways says these adjustments are intended to free up capacity on the tracks for the new direct trains connecting the Sharon region with Jerusalem.

The changes are not limited to central Israel. The Jezreel Valley line, which connects Beit She'an and Afula with the Haifa area, will also undergo route adjustments.

Morning trains on the line will now also stop at Haifa Bat Galim, Haifa Hof HaCarmel, and Atlit stations. The additional stops are intended to expand travel options for passengers using the line during the morning hours.

Another change in central Israel will affect the Binyamina-Ashkelon line. Trains on this route will begin stopping at Ganei Aviv station, replacing the service currently provided at that station by the Beit Shemesh line.

The change will create a direct rail connection between Ganei Aviv and Kfar Chabad for the first time, eliminating the need to change trains along the way.