Getting Around Israel by Train

Since I mentioned in my last post that I’m travelling to Tel Aviv four times a week, perhaps a post on the excellent public transport system in Israel would be in order.

There's no joy for drivers in Tel Aviv.  Some other Israeli cities
are just as bad.

Most Israelis own and drive private automobiles, and even the two-car family has become quite commonplace here.  This is sign of increasing prosperity; 25 years ago, the family with one car was doing better-than-average.  Now, with a population that is growing about 2% per year and a mushrooming car ownership rate, the country’s roads are considerably congested.  It is said that Israel has the most cars per kilometer of road of any country in the world, except Singapore.  The problem of traffic density is exacerbated by the smallness of the country, which makes families reluctant to move house when a breadwinner takes a job in another city.  Since most Israeli cities are within commuting distance of one another, most will just plan to commute and stay put.  Because Israelis treasure personal mobility as much as any other people, this means there are a lot of cars on the road on any given weekday.

In another, future post I’ll deal with the realities of driving in Israel.  For now, suffice it to say that it can be a frustrating, as well as expensive, proposition.

Israel Railways' Ashqelon Station at dawn.

Thank goodness there is an excellent public transport network consisting of countrywide ‘heavy’ rail as well as light rail within Jerusalem (and soon, Tel Aviv), plus a number of intercity bus companies as well as local bus lines in every city and many towns.  Except on the Sabbath and religious festivals, it is possible to travel just about anywhere in the country via public transport.  For door-to-door service, there are legions of taxis.  No Uber though:  the ride-sharing company was just getting started in Tel Aviv, but the government has made their service illegal.  There is an app-based ride hailing service called ‘GETT,’ but its vehicles are regular licensed taxis.

Most of Israel's rail lines run down the center of highways.

Newcomers to Israel frequently find themselves frustrated by the casual, ‘it’ll start when it starts’ attitude toward timeliness.  I certain do, especially given my military background!  But one thing that seems to operate with almost German-like precision, is the train network.  I can’t say as much about the buses, simply because they have to cope with the same traffic congestion that every driver must endure, so bus travel is usually fraught with delays.

The entrance-exit turn-styles in the busy Tel Aviv Center
Station

So, I’ve been taking the train every morning – four days a week – to Tel Aviv.  It’s about an hour’s ride, and the trains mostly do run on schedule.  The train cars on the main north-south coastal routes, are double-decker with lounge-type seating that is reasonably comfortable for trips that are seldom over two hours.  A standard consist seems to five cars, pulled or pushed by a single diesel locomotive.  Several of the lines that run inland, use single-level cars that are self-propelled (diesel).  A contract was recently signed to purchase electric trains from the German company Siemens, to replace the diesels as the various lines are electrified.  The Israeli trains are not high-speed a la the Bullet Train, but I have clocked trains running at over 100 KM/H where the tracks parallel a highway as they do over most of the network.  There is a ‘high speed’ track under construction on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem corridor that will cut the time of the trip down to something like half an hour when it opens.  

Whimsical touches abound.  Every train station has a piano
for whoever wants to sit down and play.  I've heard some
really good music when passing through the stations.

The trains are very inexpensive to ride; my daily round trip fare from Ashqelon to Tel Aviv would be NIS 22 (US $6.27 at today’s exchange rate), or NIS 27 (US $7.70) including the bus trip within the Tel Aviv area.  But I buy a monthly pass which includes the buses at either end, with unlimited use during the month for NIS 423 (US $120.00).  In addition to the unlimited aspect of this pass, an additional benefit is that I can breeze right into the station and through the turn-style, without needing to buy a ticket from one of the vending machines of the live cashier each day.  And on the buses, I just hold my chip card against the fare machine for a second until it registers.  It’s a very easy way to get around.

The new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem high speed rail line is an
engineering marvel and will make travel between Israeli's
two largest cities much faster.

In addition to having small tables for getting work done or holding drinks, the trains usually have 220V A/C plugs at the seats, for powering/recharging electronic devices.  The cars also have free WiFi for underway surfing.  There are restrooms in every car.  Finally, there are limited spaces for bicycles, and bicycles (including electric bikes) are carried free.  During rush hours, you’re only supposed to bring folding bikes aboard, but this is a rule generally ignored.  There are no other services on board, though; one must buy food or drink to be consumed on the way, before boarding.

A familiar sight on Israel Railways, is that of soldiers travelling
with full kit.  Even when in combat readiness, they usually go
home on leave every second weekend.

Rush hour trains can be standing room only, but I go to Tel Aviv before the morning rush and come home before the afternoon rush, so the trains are never so crowded.  When I arrive in Tel Aviv, I never have to wait more than a few minutes for the bus that takes me to a block-and-a-half from Ulpan Gordon, and the ride takes perhaps 20 minutes.

If I chose to travel by car to Tel Aviv, there would always be danger of traffic bottlenecks, not to mention the problem of finding parking in Tel Aviv.

Buses as Ashqelon's Central Station

I have also traveled between cities by bus, generally when I go to Jerusalem as there is a direct bus from Ashqelon but going by rail would require two train changes and considerably more time.  Except for being subject to traffic congestion, bus travel is also pleasant enough; the buses are comfortable and run often, the fares are cheap like the train fares, and the buses have USB power at each seat and free WiFi.  From Ashqelon to Jerusalem, the bus takes about 90 minutes.

I have to say that I find getting around in Israel by public transport, easier and cheaper than anywhere else I’ve lived (including Germany).  While there are aspects of life in Israel that can make you want to tear the hair out of your head in frustration, getting around is generally not one of them!

I'm Baaaack! About Ulpan...

Ulpan Gordon, in Tel Aviv

I know this space has been strangely quiet for a while.  Sorry about the Silence of the Blogger!  I’ve had a few very busy months.  I started studying in ulpan, a full-time Hebrew course that lasts five months.  At the same time, I’ve been abroad twice, once on ‘business’ – to celebrate the High Holy Days in Boulder, Colorado – and once on pleasure – to go boat-shopping in England.  Between all that, Clara and I bought and moved into an apartment, and I’ve been through a bout of sinus congestion that took me a long time to kick – I’m still not completely over it – which sapped my strength for several weeks.

Okay, enough excuses!  I’m touched that several of my readers have inquiries as to when I would resume blogging, so I’m here to tell you that…the resumption is now.  But I’m going to change my focus.  I’m going to move away from the weekly Torah portion, on which I’ve been blogging for a number of years.  My dear friend Paul in Australia suggested that I offer some insights on life in Israel, so I’ll move in that direction for now.

Classroom in Ulpan Gordon.  Makes one feel as if one has returned to
high school, but what can you do?

Since I mentioned that I’m currently enrolled in ulpan, I’ll tell you a bit about that.  Ulpan is, for most olim, or immigrants to Israel, an unavoidable part of the process of klita, or absorption.  Many immigrants come with zero Hebrew language, many with minimal proficiency.  My Hebrew upon arrival was, I’m given to understand, higher than than most.  Nevertheless, in my initial interview with the counselor at my local office of the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption, one question she asked was whether I was going to go to ulpan.  I told her I wanted to improve my Hebrew from the level I then held, and asked for advice.  She sent me to the local Merkaz Klita, Absorption Center, where there is an ulpan, even though it only offer a basic level course, as the staff there might be able to advise me on where I might find an course at the level appropriate for me.

Students at Ulpan Gordon enjoying the mid-morning break

I did go down to Beit Canada, the absorption center in Ashqelon, and the director was helpful, but it turned out I would have to travel to another city – Beersheva, Tel Aviv or Jerusalem – for a course that would work for me.  At about the same time, I was looking into some employment and educational opportunities and thought I might just skip the ulpan, and let my Hebrew improve through constant use.  But after a few months of going back and forth, I finally decided to enroll.  Since attending in Beersheva or Tel Aviv would require a somewhat similar commute, I decided to go to Tel Aviv figuring that I would be able to enjoy some free hours after class, enjoying the seafront or the shopping there.  I took the placement exam at Ulpan Gordon, was told that I belonged in Kita Dalet, the highest level for the immigrants’ ulpan, and I enrolled.  The course started in September.

The Ulpan Gordon is a private school, but immigrants who choose to attend there are given a voucher by the Ministry of Absorption to pay for the course.  I have to pay my own transportation costs.  (I’ll write about public transport in Israel in a later post.)  The class meets four days a week, Sunday through Wednesday, from 8.15AM to 12.50PM.  There is homework most days, especially over the break from Wednesday afternoon to Sunday morning.  Most of the homework is easy, consisting of fill-in sheets, but it does reinforce what we learned in class.  The teacher also assigns us to write compositions, and these require more effort...but being an aspiring writer I enjoy the exercise.  The teacher was shocked when I turned in my first composition, word-processed and printed on my HP inkjet printer.  The norm is hand-written pages.  Because of my work in the rabbinate, I learned to type in Hebrew a long time ago and can do so with a reasonable proficiency.  Which is a good thing, since my longhand - Hebrew or English - is difficult to decipher!

Because this is Kita Dalet, for students who already have considerable proficiency in the language, we did not have to learn how to write, nor did we have to start out by doing the verb conjugation drills that discourage so many students of Hebrew.  We focus on learning how the exceptional verbs are conjugated, and on vocabulary acquisition.  We read a lot of article on interesting subjects, some from the daily newspaper.

My class has about 25 students, far too many, but since some of them are already employed, or have young children, it seems that attendance can be spotty.  There are three major ‘blocks’ of students in the class – I jokingly refer to them as ‘mafias.’  The largest is the Russian Mafia, which seems to consist only of women.  Then there’s the French Mafia, mostly women.  Then the South American Mafia, mostly men.  There are a few oddballs:  a Hungarian woman, a Turkish man, and then the very small Anglophone Mafia:  a South African, an Australian, and me representing the good ‘ole USA.

Despite the lack of conjugation drills – which I really don’t mind, truth be told – the course can be knock-your-head-against-the-wall frustrating.  But it’s a rite of passage, and in the end I’m glad I decided to endure it.  It will not make me fluent in Hebrew; I’m afraid that only years of living here, and constantly working at it, will be the only way to achieve that level of proficiency.  Still, as inadequate as ulpan might be, it speaks volumes about the desire of the state of take immigrants from all over the world and turn them into Israelis, that the course is offered.