RAILWAY PROGRESS IN PALESTINE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7979, 6 March 1906, Page 3

RAILWAY PROGRESS IN PALESTINE.

Travelling in Palestine Is steadily improving. Until quite lately, in order to reach Haifa, by land from Jerusalem, via Nablus, five days on boise-back were required. The journey may now be accomplished in a comfortable landau, via Jaffa, and the Jewish agricultural colony of Zimmarin. in two and a-half days. Within the last few month? it has been possible to leave Haifa for Wady es Semakb, in the Haifa Damascus railway, on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, returning the same afternoons—a journey of five hours -each way, the distance being 53% miles. This FIRST COMPLETED SECTION OF THE IJEJAZ (MECCA) railway in Galilee passes witbin sight of the following places of interest:— Baroheth of the Gentiles, scenes of Elijah's sucrifico, Plain of Esdraalon, Nazareth, Mount Tabor, -Little Hermon, Shunem, Jezreel, Gideon's Fountain, Beisan (Betbeshan), crossing the Jordan at JisrelMejamia, south-east of the Sea of Galilee The first portion of thisspotion was built by the Syrian Ottoman Railway Oompany. fre queut delays in its progress, the Turkish Government bought it out from the English proprietors, and have bravely overcome natural difficulties of engineering in the valley of the YarmuK, mainly through the employment of Turkish soldiery. It is also proposed to run A SHORT LINE OF RAILWAY connection Semakh and Tiberias, and possibly, in course of time, a continuation as far as Safed. A concession under the Turkish Government Civil List has been granted fqr the purchase *of a steamer to ply on the Sea of Galli!ee. It is hoped that this steamer may run between Semakh and Tell Hum in time for the spring tourist season of 1906. The Haifa-Damas-cus railway meets the main line of the Hejaz (Mecca) railway at Edrei (Derat). The northern section to Damasous is completed, with the exception of one bridge on the River YaiUiUk, a distance of 110 miles in all. This bridge "will be finished within two months. The main line is completed as fur as Tebek. The remaining section towards Mecca will require another three years to finish. Trains are now running once a week, at regular intervals, for railway requirements only, betweeen Damascus and' Haifa although passengers are accepted. When the unfinished bridge is built trains, will run daily between the two cities. The whole of this new Government main and branch railway will be kept as a military line, under the oontrol of the Turks.