The first attempts to establish a Jaffa-Jerusalem railway connection began as early as 1839. Then, an English businessman of Jewish origin, Moses Montefiore, petitioned the government of the Turkish Ottoman Empire for the construction. At the same time, British entrepreneurs Chenz and McNeil were developing a working version of the railway line. They even made a trip to Palestine to determine the preferred route. Montefiore despaired of his attempts in 1862. Then the American-German engineer Karl Zimpl entered the business. He planned the way, which was built about three decades later.

In 1888, Yosef Navon, a Jerusalem banker and public figure, received a railway license from the Turkish government and sold it to French investors. On March 31, 1890, the cornerstone of the railway was laid near the village of Yazor (now Azur). The construction of the road, the first in the Holy Land, was completed two years later. The grand opening occurred at Jerusalem's final stop on September 26, 1892. The original Jaffa-Jerusalem line included five intermediate stations - Lod, Ramla, Said (today near Moshav Tal Shahar), Deir Aban (now Beit Shemesh) and Beitar.

The stations were built in the French style and included warehouses for goods, depots for locomotives and wagons, and canteens.

The famous passengers among the first to ride on the railway were the German Emperor Wilhelm II and Benjamin Zeev Herzl.

The Jaffa-Jerusalem railway was of great importance during the First World War. The military headquarters of Turkey and Germany were located in Jerusalem and used the road to deliver provisions to military and civilian people. With the outbreak of war, the Turkish authorities nationalised the railway, which was French property, widened the gauge from 100 centimetres to 105 and connected it in Lod to the Ottoman Hejaz railway network - the line connecting Damascus with the Arabian Peninsula.

After the end of the war, the British widened the track to 145 centimetres, adapting the road to their standard.

During the Israeli War of Independence, the railway and stations became the target of sabotage and attacks. Until 1998, with short interruptions, the line continued to serve passengers and carry out cargo transportation.