BobM
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- V Frances; V Podensis; V Francigena; V Portugues; V Francigena del Sud; Jakobsweg. Jaffa - Jerusalem
This is a long shot, but I am always impressed with the knowledge of contributors to Ivar's forum so here goes.
I plan to walk from Jaffa to Jerusalem in early December and will have some free time in Israel afterwards. I would like to ride the old Jaffa - Jerusalem train if it is possible.
It has a great story that I have pieced together: Steam trains are reliant on water sources so this railway followed Nahal Sorek (a river). It was built by the French in what was then Ottoman Palestine and opened in 1892 - the first railway in the Middle East. It was also the largest civil engineering project in the area at the time. It was largely responsible for opening up Jerusalem to modern tourism, and assisted in the growth of the city beyond the Old City walls. It's had a hard life: When the Ottomans ran it as allies of the Germans in World War 1, the British blew it up. When the British ran it as Palestine Railways during the British Mandate period from 1917 to 1948, the Israelis blew it up. And when the Israelis ran it from 1949 onwards with its starting point switched from Jaffa to Tel Aviv in the 1950s, the Palestinians blew it up. However, it has survived until today almost against the odds. The line has been refurbished as a scenic tourist route.
Can anyone point me to a site with information about the tourist timetable?
Bob M
I plan to walk from Jaffa to Jerusalem in early December and will have some free time in Israel afterwards. I would like to ride the old Jaffa - Jerusalem train if it is possible.
It has a great story that I have pieced together: Steam trains are reliant on water sources so this railway followed Nahal Sorek (a river). It was built by the French in what was then Ottoman Palestine and opened in 1892 - the first railway in the Middle East. It was also the largest civil engineering project in the area at the time. It was largely responsible for opening up Jerusalem to modern tourism, and assisted in the growth of the city beyond the Old City walls. It's had a hard life: When the Ottomans ran it as allies of the Germans in World War 1, the British blew it up. When the British ran it as Palestine Railways during the British Mandate period from 1917 to 1948, the Israelis blew it up. And when the Israelis ran it from 1949 onwards with its starting point switched from Jaffa to Tel Aviv in the 1950s, the Palestinians blew it up. However, it has survived until today almost against the odds. The line has been refurbished as a scenic tourist route.
Can anyone point me to a site with information about the tourist timetable?
Bob M
