BCH

I recently took a train from Tel Aviv Sdorot(?) Train Station to Ben Gurion Airport (right into Terminal 3) all in 14 minutes! Incredible.

The train was fast, smooth, and efficient. I highly recommend.

entropy

Probably Shalom..

I quite agree, the train between downtown and the airport is fantastic.

joshwex90

Why do you assume HaShalom? Could also have been Savidor-Mercaz. The train to Terminal 3 coming from Tel Aviv is fantastic, as well as from Modiin. Eventually, this train is expected to reach Jerusalem's new Central Train Station, across from the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem on Jaffa Street. (2017 expected date) Under a half hour! Somehow, I don't believe the finish date or travel time though..

Shimon

Don't you mean as low as 120 km/hours?

A police officer once stopped an Israeli driver.
Israeli driver: What seems to be the problem officer? Am I driving too fast?
Officer: No, you are flying too low.

HONcircle

Could also have been Hagana.
2017? You sound very optimistic! Light Rail in Jerusalem still not completed.
While HaShalom is one of the largest railway stations in Israel, the one in Natbag is so far the only one in Israel that uses display boards to inform passengers about departures and arrivals. Railways in Israel still have a long way to go.

So yes, if you are coming from Tel Aviv, train is an excellent (and cheap) option to reach the airport.
Surprising enough, it is cheaper to do Yavneh-Tel Aviv Hagana-Natbag than Tel Aviv Hagana-Natbag.

joshwex90

It could have; I just assumed from the “S” that it was either Hashalom or Savidor

Not at all That’s just when they claim it’ll be ready

But they’re *finally* doing tests on Yaffo. Though the bus has now become a nightmare which hasn’t worked too well in my favor; I take the 13 which used to be a 15 minute ride to Tachana Merkazit…now can be over an hour!

It’s actually not that big. The largest is Savidor-Merkaz, followed by Hagana. Since Hashalom is not a transfer station (because transfers from the south happen in Hagana and transfers from the north happen in Savidor,) and in the middle of Tel Aviv which doesn’t allow for a large parking lot, unlike other stations which have large, free parking lots.

A number of stations use display boards. Binyamina, Modi’in… Hagana also has, though not as good

Yes, but I like the train in Israel a lot more than in America. Can’t comment about the European or UK trains though.

Yes it is!

Only for students and children under 10. The regular price and the price for seniors is cheaper Hagana-Natbag than on Yavneh-Natbag (via Hagana).

DavidHatt

How does TLV security deal with incoming people on the train?

When a friend and I took the taxi, we were "greeted" at the entrance to the airport property, then drove *miles* to the terminal and then "greeted" again.

So, what happens with airport security? Is in Tel Aviv or at TLV?

Thank you for responding.

David

joshwex90

TLV has multiple levels of security. Pax interact with a maximum of 4 of them. The last 3 rings are unchanged, as the train station opens up into the terminal, so you will still see the security personnel who stand at the door of the terminal (and rarely stop people,) and from there, everything is the same (including the security interview and the regular metal detector/x-ray check). The only ring of security that's being avoided is the initial "greeting" as you put it.
They feel that's not a security risk for a couple of reasons:

• No vehicle is being driven onto the premises
• You will have already undergone a security check to enter the train station, and there are constantly Israel Rail security teams (who are considered some of the best in Israel) roaming the stations and trains, which eliminates virtually all security threats
• In the grand total of people accessing the airport, most are not using the train, so it's OK if a few bypass the first ring.

I'm also not quite sure what you mean when you say: Is in Tel Aviv or at TLV?

stockmanjr

The not believing it sounds like my tour guide on birthright last year when we walked past where the train was being built.

HONcircle

Wow.
Haven't had a line by line quote since a while.


I just double-checked and verified my sources especially for you.
The prices on Israel Railways for one way journeys are as follows:

-(any station) Tel Aviv-Natbag: 7,5 ILS for senior citizens and 14,50 ILS for everyone else (students, pupils, disabled,...)

- Yavneh-Natbag: senior pays same amount as before: 7,50 ILS; Youth and regular pay slightly more: 15 ILS;
PAYS LESS: Student: 13,50 ILS; Children under 10 years old (not applicable to you) pay 12 ILS; Disabled person: 13,50 ILS;
Pupil: 7,50 ILS

So now, you know how to make your journey to Natbag by train even cheaper.

HONcircle

Confused. Is rechov yafo now blocked for all traffic, or are egged buses [still] allowed to drive there, aside from the light rail (when completed)?

It drives me mad too that getting to tachana merkazit takes double amount of time now. And it will as a result get even more chaotic for people heading to Machana Yehuda, as all the taxi drivers and car traffic will have shifted from Yafo to Agripas.

joshwex90

Just to give you a timetable of the light rail, it was supposed to be completed by June, 2004. That means In June 2004, all 8 lines were supposed to be up and running. The current estimate is August, 2011. But keep in mind that means in August, the light rail will start running. But only part of 1 line! Not even the whole first line will be completed by then! And they haven't even started on the remaining 7!

At your service!

So yes, for some it's cheaper and for some it's more expensive. I personally hacve never paid for the train as it's free for soldiers, and I first started taking the train after I enlisted. I'm not looking forward to starting to pay!

Yaffo is closed to ALL traffic. From the start until just after Machane Yehuda, no traffic can drive on Yaffo, and tha INCLUDES MDA/Hatzala!! After the shuk, vehicles heading in the direction of Tachana Merkazit can start driving, and once you reach Sarei Yisrael, you have resumption of 2-way traffic. And yes, it is a nightmare. Especially for soldiers heading back to base...I just missed my bus because of the balagan!

badatz

[QUOTE=joshwex90;and in the middle of Tel Aviv which doesn’t allow for a large parking lot, unlike other stations which have large, free parking lots[/QUOTE]

Where exactly are the free parking lots? The one outside Savidor is definately a pay lot and I have never been outside of Haganah to verify.

dnastudios

Hi,

Thanks for all that great information.

Could you possibly tell me if the taxis take credit cards?

Cheers,

/dnastudios

DavidHatt

Hello Joshwex90,

Thank you for responding. I admire Israeli security so this train that goes from downtown Tel Aviv straight to the airport -- therefore bypassing the security checks that I went through -- puzzled me. But you answered my my quesitons -- the security check is done at the train station in Tel Aviv. And that trains take away a source of bombs -- cars.

So the initial airport security is done at the train station in Tel Aviv ("Tel Aviv") and not initially done at the airport ("TLV").

Todah ("thank you" in Hebrew) for responding.

David