Carmelit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Carmelit is a subway (underground metro) in Haifa, Israel. It was originally opened in 1956, but was closed in 1986 after showing signs of aging. It was reopened after extensive renovations in September 1992.
Contents |
[edit] System
Because much of Haifa is built on top of the Carmel mountain, the Carmelit (named after this mountain) is a peculiar subway system that goes up and down the mountain - an underground funicular. (The altitude difference between the first and last stations is 274 meters.) This made the Carmelit cars have a very distinctive slanted design, with steps located within each car as well as on the station platform. Since the altitude gradient varies along the route, the floor of each car is never quite level, but rather slopes slightly "uphill" or "downhill" depending on the location.
The Carmelit is one of the smallest subway systems in the world, having only four cars, six stations and its single tunnel spanning a mere 1800 meters. These four cars are divided into two two-car trains, which run on single track with a short double track section to allow trains to cross.
Despite the Carmelit being a very small subway system, it is not the smallest in the world - the Istanbul Tünel, spanning two stations and 573 meters, is smaller. However, since Istanbul also has a newer and bigger (though separate) subway system, the Haifa Carmelit is sometimes still mentioned as the smallest subway in the world.
[edit] The Carmelit today
The small number of stations means that the Carmelit only serves a small part of Haifa - what used to be the important population and business centers at the time it was designed. Nowadays, the vast majority of Haifa's population does not live close to any of the stations, making it very lightly used. There have been talks of extending the Carmelit's tunnels to reach more population centers, but such an extension was never done, primarily for fiscal reasons. Instead, the most widely used public transportation system in Haifa are Egged buses which cover most of the city.
Haifa's comptroller wrote in his 2004 report (published in 2005) about the declining use of the Carmelit. According to the report, the Carmelit is used by only 2,000 passengers each day, and has been losing money ever since being reopened in 1992. The accrued losses between 1992 and 2003 are over 191 million New Israeli Shekels.
As of 2005, the Carmelit is still the only subway in Israel. There are plans for a subway or light rail systems in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but those plans are still in the design stage (see Tel Aviv Subway).
[edit] Stations
The Carmelit has six stations, listed here going downhill:
- Gan Ha'em ("the mother's garden"): In the Carmel Center neighborhood, adjacent to the Haifa zoo, a panoramic promenade, the Haifa Auditorium, and many shops and hotels.
- Bnei Zion ("the sons of Zion"): in Golomb street, Near the Bnei Zion (Rothschild) hospital and the Bahá'í World Centre.
- Massada: upper Hadar Hacarmel: near Massada st. and Nordau st., with their galleries, antique shops, cafes and restaurants. Close to the science museum.
- Hanevi'im ("the prophets"): Hadar Hacarmel: Near Hanevi'im, Herzl and Hachalutz streets, and their shops, offices. Close to the Haifa museum.
- Solel Boneh: Near Hanevi'im tower, Ha'atzmaut park, and the Haifa city hall.
- Kikar Pariz (Paris Square): Downtown. Near government building and courthouse, Ha'atzmaut street, walking distance to train station.
[edit] Operating hours
- Sunday through Thursday: 06:00 - 22:00
- Friday and holiday eves: 06:00 - 15:00
- Saturday: 19:00 (or later, when Shabbat ends) - 22:00
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official Carmelit information (in Hebrew). Also available on the municipality's site.
- Map of Carmelit route and area around it (in English)
- Pictures of Carmelit stations and cars
| Transportation in Israel |  |
|---|---|
| Roads in Israel: Highway 1 | Highway 2 | Highway 4 | Highway 5 | Highway 6 | Route 40 | Route 60 | Route 90 | Highway 443 | Ayalon Highway | Carmel Tunnels | Begin Expressway | |
| Bus: Egged | Dan | Kavim | Metrodan Beersheba | Metropoline | Nativ Express | Superbus | Connex | |
| Railways: Israel Railways | |
| Light Rails and Rapid Transits: Tel Aviv Subway | Jerusalem Light Rail | Carmelit | |
| Aviation Authorities and Companies: Israel Airports Authority | Ben Gurion International Airport | El Al | Arkia | Israir | Neshair | Sun D'Or | Tamir Airways | |
| edit this box |
