Good news for train users: The Beit Shemesh Station has been refurbished, and there are plans to upgrade WIFI on Israel Railway trains.

Israel Railways has completed an upgrade at the Beit Shemesh station, with an investment of approximately five million shekels. The work included renovating the passenger hall, upgrading the underground passage, and adding roofing to the platforms - all with the aim of improving traffic flow and the waiting experience.

The station has been made accessible and is being prepared for future growth in the number of passengers.

The upgrade at the Beit Shemesh station is being carried out as part of the development momentum led by the Ministry of Transportation and Israel Railways, in anticipation of a forecast of approximately 300 million train trips per year by 2040.

WIFI upgrade on trains:
Many passengers are familiar with the phenomenon: a call that gets disconnected, slow browsing or almost zero reception while traveling by train. However, soon, traveling on the tracks may become much more connected. The Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Communications have announced the allocation of a dedicated budget of 68 million shekels to implement a project to improve cellular reception on Israel Railways, following the success of a pilot that was tested in recent months. The pilot, carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Israel Railways, included laser-cutting windows in train cars in order to reduce the blocking of cellular signals caused by double-glazed glass. The tests indicated a significant improvement in reception indicators, and as a result, Transport Minister Miri Regev ordered the implementation to be expanded to all train lines. So far, these windows have been installed in 30 cars, and the number is expected to increase soon.

In addition to the installation in existing carriages, it was reported that all new carriages arriving in Israel will be pre-equipped with laser-cut windows as part of the updated standard specifications. This is a technological solution to allow passengers better browsing and communication during their journey.

To ensure high-quality communications coverage along the railway route, additional solutions are being examined, such as installing dedicated Wi-Fi amplifiers on trains and wireless internet systems that will be installed in carriages. In the meantime, a decision was also made to install Wi-Fi networks in all railway stations throughout the country. The Ministry of Communications is expected to lead another move in which the deployment of cellular antennas will be expanded along the railway route and in tunnels, in order to ensure continuity in reception. To this end, Israel Railways will make properties along the railway and in stations accessible for the establishment of new cellular sites, free of charge and within the framework of a dedicated agreement with the operators.