Rishon LeZion–Modi'in Railway (Track 431)

Track 431 is included in Israel Railways' development plan to 2040 and is intended to serve a dual strategic purpose: providing a direct rail link between the southern coastal plain and Jerusalem, and integrating the Negev railway running through Rishon LeZion with the high-speed Jerusalem line.[1][4] The connection is designed so that passengers from the southern Tel Aviv suburbs and from cities including Rehovot, Ness Ziona, and Ashdod can reach the A1 railway and Modi'in without traveling through Tel Aviv and changing trains.[5]

The line is also planned to join Track 531 to form a rail loop around the Gush Dan region.[6] Projected journey times once the line opens are approximately 30 minutes between Rishon LeZion and Modi'in — roughly half the time required at the time of reporting — and approximately 45 minutes between Rishon LeZion and Jerusalem's Yitzhak Navon station, compared with around an hour and 20 minutes by the then-existing routes.[7]

The concept for linking Rishon LeZion with Modi'in along the Highway 431 corridor grew from infrastructure decisions made during the construction of the high-speed railway to Jerusalem. Work on the Ben-Gurion Airport–Kfar Daniel section of that railway began in 2004 and was completed three years later, establishing a railway interchange in the Kfar Daniel area with a branch extending eastward toward Modi'in.[5] The railway to Modi'in opened in September 2007 as far as Pa'atei Modi'in station, with the extension to Modi'in Center station opening in April 2008.[5]

The Jerusalem Institute report also recounts that graves discovered on a hill near the Route 1 railway crossing prompted Israel Railways to tunnel beneath the hill, delaying the opening of the existing line to Modi'in by one year.[5] A 2019 report by the institute described the Route 431 connection as a planned extension that would branch westward from the interchange near Kfar Daniel and run between the carriageways of Route 431 to reach western Rishon LeZion.[5] Tenders for the first two sections of the project were issued in 2018, when the overall line was described as approximately 30 kilometers long with an electrified route and two new tracks.[2]

The approximately 30-kilometer route runs within Highway 431's right-of-way for much of its length, connecting the existing Moshe Dayan and Rishonim stations in Rishon LeZion with Pa'atei Modi'in and the Anava Interchange.[6][2] Israel Railways' 2024 annual report describes the project as comprising 14 bridges with a combined length of 6 kilometers, three tunnels with a combined length of 1.1 kilometers, and a single 3.5-kilometer bridge.[1]

The 3.5-kilometer bridge, located between the Kiryat Rishon Interchange and Rishonim station, has been described as the longest railway bridge in Israel.[2] Its construction employed three different methods — balanced cantilever construction, channel-beam construction, and incremental launching — selected to minimize disruption to traffic and a flowing stream beneath the structures. In the incremental launching method, bridge elements were cast at a yard near Rishonim station and pushed across the piers toward the station.[3] Construction has also had to navigate dense existing gas, water, electricity, road, and railway infrastructure along the corridor.[3]

Reports have counted and described the tunnel works differently. The 2018 tender description referred to three tunnels beneath Highway 20, around 20 meters deep and ranging from 250 to 450 meters in length.[2] Later reporting described two newly excavated tunnels and the refurbishment of an existing tunnel at the western end of the route.[8] The 400-meter Mevo Ayalon Tunnel passes under Highway 20 and links the planned Rishon LeZion–Tashach station to the coastal track; the Jerusalem Post identified Ramla South as the other main new tunnel.[6]

The project introduces two new passenger stations and involves upgrades to existing ones. Israel Railways' 2024 annual report lists the new stations as Ramla South and Ma'ayan Sorek, while other sources identify the new Rishon LeZion station variously as Me'uyan Sorek or Rishon LeZion–Tashach; the sources do not fully reconcile this naming.[1][6] The Ma'ayan Sorek / Rishon LeZion–Tashach station is situated near the industrial zone and IKEA in Rishon LeZion, between the existing Moshe Dayan and Rishonim stations.[9]

The Ramla South station is located near the Ramla South Interchange, between Highways 431 and 40, providing a second Ramla station south of the city's existing station near the central bus station.[6][7] Rishonim station is to receive platform extensions and upgraded signaling and communications infrastructure.[1] At the eastern end of the line, Pa'atei Modi'in station is included in the connection to the new route, and signaling and control facilities are also planned at the Anava interchange.[1]

The annual report divides construction into eastern and western sections. The eastern section covers work from Rishonim to Ramla South, the Ramla South station, the stretch from Ramla South to Anava, and connections to Pa'atei Modi'in and railway line 1A. The western section covers work from Moshe Dayan to Mevo Ayalon, from Mevo Ayalon to Ma'ayan Sorek, the Ma'ayan Sorek station, the stretch from Ma'ayan Sorek to Rishonim, and platform extensions at Rishonim.[1]

Construction began in 2019.[9] That year, Electra Infrastructure won a NIS 385 million contract for an initial section covering a two-kilometer segment from the Rishonim Interchange toward Ramla South, encompassing 5.5 kilometers of new track, two railway bridges, and a tunnel.[4] In 2020, Danya won a NIS 300 million tender to build the Ma'ayan Sorek station, including a 1.8-kilometer bridge over Highway 431 interchanges.[9] In September 2024, the railway bridge over Highway 1 at the Anava Interchange was connected after approximately three months of work.[10] A breakthrough of the Mevo Ayalon Tunnel in February 2026 connected the Rishon LeZion–Tashach station to the coastal track, marking another significant construction milestone.[6]

Electrification infrastructure for Track 431 was added to Israel Railways' electrification agreement by an amendment signed in February 2025, with the board approving the option on February 5 and the agreement signed on February 9, 2025; electrification work was expected to begin in 2025 and finish in 2026.[1]

The project budget has grown across successive reporting periods. When tenders were issued in 2018, the overall project value was described as approximately NIS 3 billion.[2] By 2019, when the first construction contract was awarded, the reported value had risen to NIS 3.2 billion.[4] Israel Railways' 2024 annual report lists the project budget at NIS 3.474 billion with an estimated NIS 986 million in remaining costs.[1] Reports in 2024 and 2025 placed the total cost at approximately NIS 4 billion.[3][11] A July 2025 report noted that NIS 175 million had been approved for the project's final phase.[11]

Israel Railways received substantial contractor claims for additional payment on two project sections. Electra Infrastructure's claim on Section 1 was initially higher but settled at approximately NIS 161 million, with payment completed by December 31, 2024.[1] On Section 5, Shikun & Binui's claim concerning the Mevo Ayalon Tunnel rose from approximately NIS 270 million to NIS 410 million; as of the annual report, the parties had agreed to remove tunneling work from the contractor's scope while negotiating their mutual claims.[1]

The project has faced a series of delays over its construction period. Reporting in 2018 projected completion in 2025.[2] Later forecasts shifted, with reports variously identifying 2027 for initial operation and 2028 for completion or full opening.[11][8] The Israel–Hamas war that began in October 2023 affected project schedules, with Israel Railways citing shortages of skilled labor and heavy engineering equipment and the non-arrival of foreign experts. Requests from suppliers for schedule extensions were under review by the Transportation Ministry, and as of the 2024 annual report, no extension framework had been approved by the state.[1]

Work on the Highway 1 bridge at Anava Interchange also encountered delays linked to political pressure. Work originally planned for weekends, when road traffic is lighter, was canceled twice following pressure from ultra-Orthodox politicians opposed to construction on Shabbat. The work was subsequently carried out on weeknights with repeated road closures; the contractor, Shikun & Binui Solel Boneh, also cited staffing and safety concerns, which Israel Railways disputed.[10]

Opening forecasts have shifted repeatedly as the project has progressed. Israel Railways' 2024 annual report set the fourth quarter of 2027 as the target for engineering readiness for operation, with the project reported as being in various stages of execution across its sections.[1] The Jerusalem Post described expected project completion in 2028.[6] A July 2025 report described a planned initial service in 2027 at two trains per hour in each direction, with an increase to four trains per hour in each direction planned after expansion of key stations.[11] An August 2026 report said the opening was expected in 2027, while also noting estimates that full opening of the route could extend into 2028.[8]

These figures reflect forecasts published at different points during construction and should not be treated as a single confirmed completion date.[8]