 In 1920 a new company, called Palestine Railways was established, which took over the responsibility of running the country's rail network.During the British Mandate, rail travel increased considerably, with a line being built between Petach Tikva and Rosh HaAyin, and Lydda (which was near the main airport in the area) becoming a major hub during WWII.Also during the war, in 1942, the British opened a route running from Haifa to Beirut and Tripoli.