British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 854

CHAPTER XIX.

and increased traffic facilities provided. During the war of 1939/45 the facilities for handling traffic have been further developed by the modernisation and enlargement of the marshalling yards at Haifa and Lydda and all locomotives have been converted from coal to oil burning, with the corresponding oil storage and fuelling installations at depots. The administration and control of the entire railway system has been centralised at Haifa.

5. The existing rolling stock owned and operated by the Palestine Railways consists of :-

Locomotives : Standard gauge (4'81/2")

P.R. & W.D. = 100

105 cm. gauge = 23

Coaching stock : Standard gauge (4'8!") 105 cm. gauge

Wagons stock : Standard gauge (4'8f')

P.R. &W.D.

105 cm. gauge

91 37

2404*

394*

6. The railways handle only a minor proportion of the internal passenger traffic of the country, partly because the railway alignment is not conveniently situated for passenger movement, but mainly because single line operation does not permit of the expedition and frequency of services necessary to short-haul passenger movement. The principal freight traffic handled by the railways consists of grain, provisions, cement and building materials, heavy bulk imported commodities, potash and citrus for export and oils for local consumption. The main flow of traffic is to and from Haifa Port.

7. The average net goods train load before the war was about 140 tons on the standard gauge and 65 tons on the 105 cm. gauge. During the war the average net load on the standard gauge has been raised to about 190 tons and the railways have been extended to capacity as indicated by the following traffic figures covering all sections :-

TONNAGE Of Goods CONVEYED

Tons exported

Total all Tons

~ imported

1936-87 1989-40 1942-48 1948-44 1944-45

1,162,992

847,445 2,302,498 2,589,086 2,281,001

96,898 J 13,109 428,490 620,828 4 23,328

47,055 80,052 856,605 280,675 2A0,885

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* These totals are daily augmented by up to 1,000 wagons from the war Department and/or foreign railways.

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