Trains to keep running on Shabbat, in extraordinary move

Trains will continue running over the Shabbat due to the emergency situation in the country, according to Channel 12 news, citing a Transportation Ministry order.

Trains will run between Ben Gurion airport and Tel Aviv as well as Beer Sheba starting at 6 p.m. Friday and running through the night. On Saturday, trains will run from Beer Sheba to Nahariya at a frequency of once an hour from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the report.

Israel does not have public transportation on Shabbat due to opposition from ultra-Orthodox lawmakers, who have threatened to collapse the government in the past over work being done on tracks. It is unclear if Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev of the Shas party signed off on the move.

The report comes a day after El Al said it would operate flights on Shabbat for the first time ever to help Israelis abroad trying to get home.