Old Tel Aviv central bus station

Former bus station in Tel Aviv, Israel
32°03′37″N 34°46′43″E / 32.06028°N 34.77861°E / 32.06028; 34.77861Other informationStatusInactive stationHistoryOpened1941 (opened)
May 1942 (inaugurated)Closed31 July 2009 (2009-07-31)

The Old Tel Aviv central bus station was the main bus station of Tel Aviv from 1941 until 1993. The station served intercity bus routes as well as local city and suburban buses. On August 18, 1993, Tel Aviv's New central bus station became the city's new transportation hub. The old station was demolished in July 2009.

History

When the station opened in 1941, it was intended to serve 60,000 passengers a day. It had six departure platforms linked by underground passages and another platform for arrivals. Soon after its opening, it was found to be inadequate and poorly planned. The canopies over the platforms were too narrow to protect passengers from rain and sun, and interfered with loading of baggage onto the roofs of the buses.[1]

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War the station was bombed by Egyptian planes, killing 42 persons, including four members of the Dan cooperative, and wounding 100.[1]

On November 6, 1970, two bombs exploded in Tel Aviv at the central bus station killing one person and injuring 24.[2]

On August 18, 1993, the main terminus for buses and taxis moved to the new Tel Aviv bus station and the old station was used mainly as a parking lot. On 31 July 2009, Egged rerouted all remaining bus lines passing through the station. On 2 August 2009 the last platforms were demolished.

In the 2000s the area became a centre for prostitution.[3]

In 2010s the area became populated by foreign workers.[4] In 2015, a new housing development project began and is expected to signify a new era of gentrification for the area. This has resulted in many raids and closures of premises used for prostitution.[3][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Last tickets, please
  2. ^ "Tel Aviv Bombings Kill One and Hurt 24; 2 Blasts Rock Central Bus Station Al Fatah Aide Claims Responsibility". AP. The New York Times. November 7, 1970. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  3. ^ a b Lee, Vered (2 October 2017). "Empty Streets and Locked Doors: Prostitution Is Disappearing From Tel Aviv's Underbelly". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  4. ^ Real estate around Tel Aviv's decrepit bus station yields handsome returns
  5. ^ "Tel Aviv sex workers resist gentrification and raids". Global Network of Sex Work Projects. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.

External links

  • The Place of the Mediterranean in Modern Israeli Identity, Alexandra Nocke

32°3′37.08″N 34°46′42.96″E / 32.0603000°N 34.7786000°E / 32.0603000; 34.7786000