Trains will operate on a special schedule during Yom Kippur, Israel Railways announced on Monday.

On the eve of the holiday, Sunday, September 20, trains will run on an increased schedule until 13:00 p.m.

During this period, Israel Railways will run two trains between Haifa and Tel Aviv per hour instead of the usual one.

After 13:00 p.m. on Monday, all train traffic will cease until Tuesday, September 22.

Israel Railways specified that certain trains overnight between Monday and Tuesday would run as normal.

Eliminating drivers would reduce the extent of Shabbat violations involved in running the network, although security and operations personnel would still be required on Fridays and Saturdays.

An NTA official stressed, however, that weekend service is only a technical possibility and that the decision will ultimately be made by the political leadership.

Udi Etzion contributed to this report.