Israel Railways to Suspend Modi’in Service This Weekend for Track 431 Work

Passengers using Modi’in’s two railway stations will face weekend disruptions as Israel Railways works to connect the new Track 431 project to the existing network.

Trains between Modi’in and Ben-Gurion Airport will stop from 10 p.m. Thursday until 4 a.m. Sunday. The line between Modi’in Center and Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon will operate normally on Thursday night and Friday. A free shuttle will run between Modi’in’s stations and the airport during the disruption.

The Modi’in stations will close completely on Saturday night, which will also suspend the Modi’in-Jerusalem service. Israel Railways said the closure was planned, though it was unclear whether that particular interruption was directly linked to the Track 431 work.

The project follows the right-of-way of Highway 431 and is expected to be completed in 2028 at a cost of NIS 3.5 billion. It is designed to connect Rishon LeZion with Modi’in and Jerusalem with the Shfela region and Israel’s southern coast.

The 30-kilometer line includes renovated stations and two new ones. Rishon LeZion-Tashach station will stand along a 3.5-kilometer bridge described as Israel’s longest. A new station is also being built south of Ramle, while existing Rishon LeZion stations are being upgraded. The project reached a milestone in February when crews broke through the Mevo Ayalon Tunnel beneath Highway 20.