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Background
One of the most important events of the period under consideration was the completion of the Jaffa-Jerusalem Railroad in 1892.
Henrietta Szold, Recent Jewish Progress in Palestine, 1915
The opening of the French-built Jaffa-Jerusalem Railroad in 1892 meant that it was now much easier for pilgrims to come to, and oranges to leave from, Palestine. Tourists, especially from Europe, used the line to visit the Holy Land and travel to Jerusalem. It first ran only once a day in each direction, although additional trips were added for Easter. It wasn’t long, though, until the line was so popular that by 1900, passenger traffic warranted two trains in each direction.
Rail Ticket, in French and Arabic, recto and verso, being a pasteboard card measuring 1 3/16 x 2 ¼ inches (roughly sextodecimo), for the Jaffa-Jerusalem Railroad, 2nd Class. Palestine, no date. Punched and cancelled.
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