For whom the trains roll? An equity analysis of rail enhancement in Israel
Rail has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in recent decades, with substantial new investments made therein. Justification oftentimes rests on rail’s non-transport benefits, particularly the idea of opening-up new prospects for the carless. While many studies focus on accessibility to opportunities,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Cities |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2025.1468601/full |
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| author | Orit Rotem-Mindali Eran Feitelson Yaron Michael |
| author_facet | Orit Rotem-Mindali Eran Feitelson Yaron Michael |
| author_sort | Orit Rotem-Mindali |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rail has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in recent decades, with substantial new investments made therein. Justification oftentimes rests on rail’s non-transport benefits, particularly the idea of opening-up new prospects for the carless. While many studies focus on accessibility to opportunities, this study attempts to evaluate the equity of investments. To that end, it is particularly pertinent to assess the degree to which rail is accessible to the carless, to identify exactly who benefits from the investment in rail, and who does not. As inter-city rail is inherently spatially inequitable, feeder bus services are sometimes added to mitigate these inequities. In this paper, we analyzed the equity facets of the enhancement of inter-city rail, including feeder bus services, in Israel, by examining the siting of rail stations, and mapping out all bus routes reaching heavy rail stations nationwide. Subsequently, we analyzed the attributes of the cities and towns serviced by rail, and of the population residing near bus stops on the feeder routes, as well as the frequency of service in those stops. Access to inter-urban rail in Israel was investigated, in terms of equity, at an unprecedented level of detail, thereby enabling us to assess which population groups stand to potentially benefit from the very substantial current investments in rail. We found that the Arab minority benefits the least, with adverse implications on women’s motility, largely due to limited bus feeder lines to the rail system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ec0a16cd57904412a7c3ddeb9a817ff8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2624-9634 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Cities |
| spelling | doaj-art-ec0a16cd57904412a7c3ddeb9a817ff82025-08-20T02:02:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Cities2624-96342025-03-01710.3389/frsc.2025.14686011468601For whom the trains roll? An equity analysis of rail enhancement in IsraelOrit Rotem-Mindali0Eran Feitelson1Yaron Michael2Department of Geography and Environment, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, IsraelDepartment of Geography, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelFaculty of Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, IsraelRail has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in recent decades, with substantial new investments made therein. Justification oftentimes rests on rail’s non-transport benefits, particularly the idea of opening-up new prospects for the carless. While many studies focus on accessibility to opportunities, this study attempts to evaluate the equity of investments. To that end, it is particularly pertinent to assess the degree to which rail is accessible to the carless, to identify exactly who benefits from the investment in rail, and who does not. As inter-city rail is inherently spatially inequitable, feeder bus services are sometimes added to mitigate these inequities. In this paper, we analyzed the equity facets of the enhancement of inter-city rail, including feeder bus services, in Israel, by examining the siting of rail stations, and mapping out all bus routes reaching heavy rail stations nationwide. Subsequently, we analyzed the attributes of the cities and towns serviced by rail, and of the population residing near bus stops on the feeder routes, as well as the frequency of service in those stops. Access to inter-urban rail in Israel was investigated, in terms of equity, at an unprecedented level of detail, thereby enabling us to assess which population groups stand to potentially benefit from the very substantial current investments in rail. We found that the Arab minority benefits the least, with adverse implications on women’s motility, largely due to limited bus feeder lines to the rail system.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2025.1468601/fullequity of investmentsrailminoritiespolicy packagesfeeder buses |
| spellingShingle | Orit Rotem-Mindali Eran Feitelson Yaron Michael For whom the trains roll? An equity analysis of rail enhancement in Israel Frontiers in Sustainable Cities equity of investments rail minorities policy packages feeder buses |
| title | For whom the trains roll? An equity analysis of rail enhancement in Israel |
| title_full | For whom the trains roll? An equity analysis of rail enhancement in Israel |
| title_fullStr | For whom the trains roll? An equity analysis of rail enhancement in Israel |
| title_full_unstemmed | For whom the trains roll? An equity analysis of rail enhancement in Israel |
| title_short | For whom the trains roll? An equity analysis of rail enhancement in Israel |
| title_sort | for whom the trains roll an equity analysis of rail enhancement in israel |
| topic | equity of investments rail minorities policy packages feeder buses |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2025.1468601/full |
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