- Transport in Israel
Transportation in
Israel is well developed, and is continuously being upgraded to meet the demands of population growth, political factors, theIsrael Defense Forces , tourism and increasedtraffic .Highways
Israel has an advanced road network spanning over 17,446 km of roads, of which 144 km are expressways. The network spans the whole country.
Bus services
Israel has a well developed bus route system, and buses are the country's main form of public transport. The
Egged Bus Cooperative , Israel's largest bus company, is the second largest in the world, and operates routes throughout the country.Each major city or region has its own local bus company, the largest being the
Dan Bus Company , operating routes inGush Dan .Kavim is the next largest., other than standalone bus stops, come in two types: terminals ("masof", pl. "mesofim") and central terminals ("tahana merkazit"). Each terminal serves a number of routes, usually over a dozen, while a central terminal may serve over a hundred bus routes. The largest central bus terminal in the country is the
Tel Aviv Central Bus Station which is also the largest bus terminal in the world.Israel also has a
share taxi service (Hebrew - "Sherut"), run by several private companies, depending on location, in addition to regular taxicab services.Pipelines
Israel has 193 km of gas pipelines, 442 km of oil pipelines, and 261 km of pipelines for refined products.
Also see
Trans-Israel pipeline .Ports and harbors
Mediterranean Sea *
Ashdod (Ashdod Port )
*Ashkelon
*Hadera
*Haifa (Haifa Port)
*Herzliya
*Tel Aviv-YafoRed Sea On the
Gulf of Aqaba :
*Eilat (Eilat Port)Merchant marine
*Total: 18 ships (with a volume of GRT|1,000|first=yes or over) totaling GRT|716,382/DWT|845,053|metric|first=yes
*Ships by type:Cargo ship 1,Chemical Tanker 1,Container ship 16 (2006)Note: There are many ships owned and operated by Israeli companies but not counted in this list as they are operated under foreign flags of convenience. For example, Israel's Zim Navigation is not only the largest cargo shipping company in Israel but also one of the largest such companies worldwide.Air transport
As of 2006, there were 53 airports in Israel, the largest, and most well known being
Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) located nearTel Aviv which is the destination of most international flights to Israel. Israel's largest airline isEl Al Israel Airlines which was previously government owned but was recently privatised. Flights from Israel travel toNorth America ,Europe , theFar East , and neighboring countries in theMiddle East . Domestic flights are quite common in Israel, especially between Tel Aviv and Haifa, and the southern city ofEilat , international flights to which travel toOvda International Airport nearby. In 2007, for the first time, passenger numbers on international flights at TLV had surpassed the 10 million mark. Boeing estimates that 60-80 new aircraft will be purchased by Israeli airlines over the next 20 years. [ [http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/02/11/221434/israel-special-flag-carrier-el-al-thrives-despite-high-fuel-costs-and-competition.html Israel special - Flag carrier El Al thrives despite high fuel costs and competition ] ]According to the Israel Civil Aviation Authority, as of
31 January ,2008 , Israel's civil aircraft fleet consisted of 53 aircraft; 47 passenger planes, 5 freighters and one convertible. 41 of these wereBoeing jets, 2Airbus , and 10 turbo-prop produced by ATR andDash . [ [http://www.port2port.com/Index.asp?CategoryID=44&ArticleID=1691 PORT2PORT - Israel's Trade Portal ] ]Airports with paved runways
*Total:30
**over 3,047 m:2
**2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
**1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
**914 to 1,523 m: 10
**under 914 m: 6 (2006)Airports with unpaved runways
*Total:23
**2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
**1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
**914 to 1,523 m: 2
**under 914 m: 20 (2006)Heliports
*3 (2006)
Airlines
*
El Al Israel Airlines
**Sun d'Or International Airlines
*Arkia Israel Airlines
*Israir Airlines Railways
*Total:899 km
*standard gauge: 899 km 1.435-m gauge (2005 )See related article about
Israel Railways .Railway links with adjacent countries
*Lebanon - defunct
*Syria - defunct
*Jordan - proposed
*Egypt - defunctLight rail/Subway
Two light rail systems are in advanced planning stages or under construction in Israel - one in Tel Aviv and one in Jerusalem.
A subway also exists in Haifa, called
Carmelit . It is one of the shortest subway lines in the world.References
External links
* [http://www.mot.gov.il/wps/portal/!ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/7_0_A/.s/7_0_64T/_s.7_0_A/7_0_64T Ministry of Transport]
* [http://www.otobusim.co.il General bus route information website] , encompassing numerous companies he icon
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