Jezreel Valley Railway - Stations

Stations

There were 8 stations in the original line and numerous stations were added later. The stations are listed from west to east.

• Haifa Station

The Haifa Railway Station was the western terminus of the line. The cornerstone for its construction was laid on July 16, 1905, just one day before the inception of the new railroad. The architectural style was similar to that of railway station in southern Germany at the time. The Haifa station was the only railway station in the world, serving the lines of 3 continents - Africa and Europe (by the coastal railway), and Asia (by the Hejaz railway).

On September 20, 1946, the station was bombed by the Irgun, and only the eastern hall of the station survived. It was later renamed to Haifa East Railway Station, following the construction of the Haifa Center Railway Station in 1937.

This is the only station of the valley railway still used today, being also located on the main railway line of Israel Railways, although it does not serve as a stop for passenger trains. The Israel Railway Museum is located near the station.

• Balad ash-Sheikh Station

Distance from Haifa: 4.5 km

The Balad ash-Sheikh Railway Station, also known as Tel Hanan or Shumariyyah (Şumariye in Turkish), was built in 1904 as the second station in the original valley line, and named after Balad ash-Sheikh, the Arab village next to it.

In 1913, the Ottomans built an extension of the valley line to Acre, with this station serving as terminus. When the Haganah attacked the village of Balad ash-Sheikh on the night of December 30, 1947 – January 1, 1948, an attacker named Hanan Zelinger was killed in the operation. A Jewish village, Tel Hanan, was built there in his name.

• Nesher Station

The Nesher Railway Station was founded in 1925, the same year as the city Nesher, which stands on the location today. Originally, the station was freight-only and intended for the efficient transportation of malt beer produced in the Nesher Factory to Haifa. The station also served the Nesher cement factory in the town.

The station was opened after the British converted the Haifa–Nesher part of the valley railway to dual gauge, allowing both standard and narrow gauge rolling stock to reach the station and allowing it to connect it to the rest of the of the nationwide rail network, much of which (except for the Jezreel Valley railway) was by then converted to or built as standard gauge.

• Yagur Station

This station was built in the 1920s to serve the residents of Yagur, a kibbutz. The station's single stone structure stands to this day and is used for storage.

• Elro'i Station

This station, also called Al Roy in English, was built next to the Kishon River (a wadi) to serve the residents of the moshav Elro'i, today part of Kiryat Tiv'on. Originally, it was a simple wooden construction, similar to a bus stop. Later, it was converted into a small brick shed. The shed was later renovated by the residents of Elro'i. A small museum commemorating the Valley Railway now exists at the site.

• Kiryat Haroshet Station

Similar to the Elro'i station, Kiryat Haroshet was a small shed meant only to protect passengers from rough weather conditions. It was built by the British upon request from the residents of the area, even though the distance between it and the Elro'i station is less than 1 km. Today, Kiryat Haroshet is also part of the town Kiryat Tiv'on.

• Kfar Yehoshu'a Station

Distance from Haifa: 21.8 km

The Kfar Yehoshu'a Railway Station, initially Tel ash-Shamam, was the 3rd original station of the line. The station was built in an empty area, at the time filled with swampland, and served as a service station for locomotives. The station consisted of 8 buildings in the German style, which stand to this day.

In 2005, as part of the 100-year celebration of the Jezreel Valley railway, the station underwent a renovation, and 1950s wooden cars were placed in it. There are plans to open a railway museum on its grounds, and renovate old train cars used on the railway.

By mid-2016, a new Kfar Yehoshu'a station along the renewed Valley railway's route will be built approximately 2.5km east of the historic Kfar Yehoshu'a station.

• Kfar Baruch Station

This station was built in 1926 for the residents of the moshav Kfar Baruch, to the north of the village. It was a simple shack for awaiting passengers and had neither a ticket both, nor tickets printed for the station. Therefore, the residents had to haggle with the train conductor on the train in hopes of being let in. Today, there are no remnants left of the station.

By mid-2016, a new Kfar Baruch station along the renewed Valley railway's route will be built approximately 1km southwest of the historic Kfar Baruch station location.

• Afula Station

Distance from Haifa: 36.4

The Afula Railway Station (Afule during Ottoman period) was the fourth original station in the valley line. It was named after the Arab village there, al-Fuleh, until the Jewish town Afula was founded there in 1925. The station was an important crossroads and served as a terminus for the Afula–Nablus extension of the valley line, which started operations to Jenin in 1913.

The station prompted the quick growth of al-Puleh/Afula, and various civilian and military installation were built in its vicinity, including a regional post office that served the entire Jezreel Valley built in 1922.

On November 1, 1945, the station was destroyed as part of the Night of the Trains by the Jewish Resistance Movement, and has not been used since. A museum was built on the grounds of the station, commemorating the history of the Jezreel Valley railway.

As part of the the renewed Jezreel Valley railway project, by the middle of 2016 a new railway station will be built along the new railway's route, approximately 1.5km north of the historic station's location.

• Ein Harod Station

Ein Harod was the first kibbutz founded in the Jezreel Valley (1921), and with it the small railway station. The station was called Ein Harod even after the workers of the kibbutz copied all their residences to a nearby hill in 1927. Only many years later, after a new station was created for Ein Harod (see Tel Yosef Station), the station was renamed. Initially, it was renamed to Yehezkeliya for the nearby moshav Kfar Yehezkel, but due to pressure from kibbutz Geva, the station eventually took on the kibbutz's name.

• Tel Yosef Station

This station was a small shed, built for the residents of the new Ein Harod, and for Tel Yosef. It was located next to the road junction leading to the kibbutzim. Today, nothing remains of the station.

• Shata Station

This station served the residents of Beit HaShita (It was known as Şatta during Ottoman rule), and named after the Arab name for the location. Several stone structures were built for the station, and the largest of them can be found today within the Shata Prison.

During the British Mandate period, a Tegart fort encompassing the entire station was built, and later converted into the Shata Prison by the Israel Prison Service.

In 2003, the station's structures were renovated by the prisoners in Shata. These renovations were not according to the original architectural design, but no major damage was done to the station. Until then, the station served as the prison's carperntry, but since the refurbishment, it is used for offices and storage.

• HaSade Station

This station served the residents of Sde Nahum (originally called Kibbutz HaSade). The station was created in 1934 for the residents of the village, who feared using the Arab Beisan station during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. This 'station' consisted only of a trilingual sign, without any structures.

• Beit She'an Station

Distance from Haifa: 59.3 km The Beit She'an Railway Station (originally Beisan also known as Bisan) was the fifth original station and specifically ordered by the Turkish sultan, in hopes of raising property value in the area and hence tax value. However, only upon Jewish settlement in the area, did it finally see the desired growth.

A new passenger station is to be built at the site starting in 2013 as part of the reconstruction of the Valley line. This effort also involves renovating some of the original station's abandoned structures.

• Beit Yosef Station

This station was built in 1937 for the residents of the moshav Beit Yosef. After it fell into disuse with the closure of the line, any structures on the station's grounds were razed and the exact location is unknown today.

• Gesher Station

The Gesher Railway Station (also Gesher Nehalim) was the 6th station in the original line, and served mainly the residents of Gesher and Menahemiya. It was located next to the Mujami Bridge (Jisr al-Majami' in Arabic, Cisr'ul Mecami in Turkish), which when intact was the lowest railway bridge in the world at 257.5 m below sea level.

Today, the remnants of the bridge, destroyed on May 14, 1948, as well as two wooden train cars can be seen from the Gesher kibbutz, beyond the border fence although technically on Israeli territory.

• Naharayim Station

The Naharayim station was constructed near the Naharayim Power Station built by Pinhas Rutenberg in the Bauhaus architectural style. After the 1949 Armistice Agreements, the area of Naharayim was ceded to Jordan and today, the remnants of the station are located on the Peace Island within the borders of Jordan.

• al-Dalhamiyya Station

This station was created to serve the Arab village of al-Dalhamiyya. With the founding of kibbutz Ashdot Ya'akov in 1935, it began also serving the residents of the kibbutz. Like the HaSade station, this 'station' was merely a trilingual sign where trains stopped.

• Arlosorow Halt Station

The Arlosorow Halt Station was named after the prominent Zionist Haim Arlosoroff. It was built in 1937 and served the kibbutzim Masada and Sha'ar HaGolan, which were also founded in memory of Arlosoroff. This station replaced the temporary Jordan Valley Station, and a tin shack was created to protect passengers from harsh weather conditions. Today, nothing remains of this station.

• Jordan Valley Station

This was a temporary station created in 1936 in light of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, to allow the Jewish residents of the Jordan Valley to travel safely without going through the Arab Samakh (Tzemah) station. The station, which was funded by the Jews in the area, sported a single small sign. It was cancelled following the inception of the Arlosorow Halt.

• Tzemah Station

Distance from Haifa: 86.9 km

The Tzemah Railway Station (originally Samakh) was the seventh of the eight original stations on the valley line. It served the village of Samakh, inhabited mostly by settled Bedouins. The station facilitated the growth of the village, which reached an Arab population of 3,460. A quay was built near the station, on the Sea of Galilee, for moving freight from the railway to Tiberias.

The station was damaged during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in the Battles of the Kinarot Valley. Starting in 2011, the station is undergoing extensive restoration work.

• al-Hamma Station

Distance from Haifa: 95.3 km

The al-Hamma (now Hamat Gader, El Hüsame in Ottoman Turkish) Station was the eighth and last of the original station on the valley line. While located within the borders of what was then defined as Palestine, it was relatively isolated, and could not serve as a major transportation hub and gateway to Syria, a function which was performed by the Tzemah Station.

The station was built near the Roman bath houses of al-Hamma, and included several stone structures. These also served as the residence for the founder of kibbutz Mevo Hama, who renovated the bath houses.

Today, the station is located in Israel, near the Syrian border, and its structures are used for a fish farm. A tin sign can still be seen bearing the name of the station.