Cable cars in Haifa

Haifa cable car running between Mt. Carmel and Bat Galim

There are two cable car systems in Haifa, Israel: a cable car on Mount Carmel that runs down the mountain to the Bat Galim promenade in the western part of the city, which is mainly used by tourists, and a planned cable car public-transportation system for the southeastern section of the city, leading to the hilly areas housing the University of Haifa and the Technion.

Rakavlit - commuter service[]

The planned Haifa cable car system, to be known as the רכבלית/Rakavlit (a diminutive of רכבל, meaning cable car, and itself a contraction of רכבת, train, and כבל, cable), is part of the city's expanded public transport system, scheduled for estimated completion in 2020 or 2021, which will complement the existing city bus and Metronit lines.^[1]

The cable car's route will run 4.4 kilometres from HaMifratz Central Bus Station at the foot of Mount Carmel to the Technion and then onto the University of Haifa. Most of the passengers are expected to be students. Total travel time from Check Post Junction to the University of Haifa was originally estimated at 17 minutes.^[2] More recent estimates, however, indicate that travel time will be 19 minutes.^[3]

The cable car, whose route is expected to contain six stations when complete, is being named through a competition among schools within the Haifa municipality, with the final winner being chosen by university students. A similar method was used in 2010 to choose the name of Haifa's Metronit lines.^[3]

Work began in approximately June 2017 on the cable car line, which is being built by the municipal development company.^[4] Original estimates indicated that the project would cost an estimated 280 million NIS.^[5] It is part of a wider plan to address traffic congestion in Haifa, and in particular, on the two university campuses. It is anticipated that all discounts (such as student and senior rates) presently available on other transit systems will be available on the cable car, which will also be fully accessible to individuals with disabilities.^[3]

An anticipated 150 fully-accessible cable cars will each hold up to ten passengers, departing from the stations every 15 seconds. Total passenger capacity is estimated to be up to 2,400 passengers per hour in each direction. The journey from the Haifa Bay Central Station (Merkazit Hamifratz) to the Technion will take about 10 minutes, and another 9 minutes from the Technion to the University of Haifa.^[6]

Test runs began on the cable car line in April 2021,^[7] with a planned opening date of October 10, 2021. However, media reports the following day indicated that while all infrastructure was complete, a dispute had arisen with Doppelmayr Cable Car, the Austrian cable car manufacturer which was delaying the inauguration of the service.^[8] According to official statements from the Israeli Ministry of Transportation, the dispute was contractual in nature, while inside sources believed the dispute was financial in nature, with Doppelmayr demanding a further 20 million Euros in payment before they activate the system.^[9]

Doppelmayr also built the cars currently in use for Haifa's Carmelit underground funicular railway line,^[10] the shortest subway system in the world, with only four cars, six stations and a single tunnel 1.8 km (1.1 mi) long.

Tourist service[]

A tourist cable car runs up and down the mountain from the top of the Carmel, opposite the Carmelite Monastery, to Bat Galim, with views of Haifa Bay and surroundings.^[11]

See also[]

• Egged
• Carmelit

References[]

External links[]

• רכבל מפרץ - טכניון - אוניברסיטת חיפה [Cable Bay - Technion - University of Haifa] (in Hebrew). Yefeh Nof. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-08-15.

Coordinates: 32°49′53″N 34°58′13″E / 32.8314°N 34.9703°E / 32.8314; 34.9703