The light rail was supposed to be a symbol. Modern. Efficient. A sign that Israel’s urban core was stepping into the future. But that future has been hijacked by war. Less than two years after opening, the underground stations of Israel’s new transit system are no longer just for commuters. They’re shelters. Hundreds of civilians are now sleeping in them nightly to escape Iranian missile barrages.
This isn’t a drill. Since June 13, Iran has launched over 400 missiles into Israeli territory. At least 24 civilians have been killed. Dozens more have been injured. The air raid sirens don’t stop. Schools are closed. Businesses are shuttered. And the streets of cities like Ramat Gan have gone silent. The only hum comes from the light rail system beneath the pavement, where families now gather each night to survive.
The Bialik Station in Ramat Gan has become the epicenter of this underground migration. Designed with reinforced concrete and deep-set platforms, it was built to double as a bomb shelter. That design is now being tested. Over 1,000 people are sleeping there each night. Mattresses line the platforms. Children curl up in sleeping bags. Meals are unpacked on the floor. Some arrive as early as 4 p.m. to claim a spot. Others come later, after the sirens start.
The stations are patrolled by police and checked by bomb-sniffing dogs. There are no trains running. Just people. Waiting. Hoping. Trying to sleep through the sound of distant explosions. Some of the sheltering families are Israeli. Others are foreign workers from India’s Telangana region. They’ve abandoned their apartments and now spend nights underground, saying it’s the only place they feel safe.