Rehovot Railway Station 2.96

Rehovot Railway Station is an Israel Railways passenger station located in the city of Rehovot. It serves the city, the Weizmann Institute of Science and the nearby science industries park, as well as the city of Ness Ziona. The station is named after Ehud Hadar, CEO of Israel Railways between 1994 and 1996.LocationThe station is situated on the East-West Ashkelon–Lod branch of the Tel Aviv – Be'er Sheva line. It is located in the northern part of Rehovot, 600 meters north of the main gate of the Weizmann Institute and about 1.5 km north of the city center.HistoryThe station opened in 1920 on the historic El Kantara–Haifa railway. The station was mostly used for freight, transporting oranges from the many orchards in Rehovot to the Port of Haifa, with a daily passenger train to Jaffa. The regular passenger service was disrupted in 1927, and continued to operate sporadically during the 1930s.During World War II the station was used by the allied forces which were sent to the North African front. The warehouses that previously housed citrus fruits were used as barracks and even as a military hospital. In 1943, a group of 714 children who escaped from Poland arrived at the station via Tehran and Port Said. This group was known in Israel as the "Tehran Children". On May 14, 1948, only hours before the Israeli Declaration of Independence, the last British military train left the station for Egypt. The citrus freight service continued until the 1960s.