Qiryat Chaim Railway Station
Encyclopedia
Kiryat Haim Railway Station is an Israel Railways
passenger station serving the town of Kiryat Haim
(administratively a neighborhood of Haifa
) and the surrounding Kerayot region.
Street in the central part of the town, on the administrative border between Eastern and Western Kiryat Haim. The station is one of two railway stations serving Haifa's northern suburbs – the Krayot
(the other being Kiryat Motzkin Railway Station), although it is slightly smaller in terms of passenger numbers and trains serving it. The station is also one of six railway stations within Haifa's municipal borders.
–Cairo
railway, constructed by the British
during their Mandate for Palestine, connecting Kiryat Haim's residential areas with Haifa's sea port
, the main employer of the residents at that time.
Until the mid-1990s a small shed was the only thing marking the station. At that time a station was constructed according to the present passenger station format of Israel Railways. The station now consists of two platform
s with two parallel rail tracks
running between them, a pedestrian
tunnel
connecting the two platforms and a small station building on the eastern side (Kiryat Haim Mizrahit (Eastern) exit) as well as an exit on the west side (Kiryat Haim Ma'aravit (Western) exit).
In the early 2000s a tunnel was constructed directly beneath the station's platforms replaced the dangerous level crossing
that existed just north of the station.
During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
train service to the station was suspended after a Hezbollah Katyusha rocket hit a train depot in Haifa on July 16, 2006, killing 8 Israel Railways workers. It was restored 29 days later, on August 14, two days after the ceasefire
went into effect.
– Haifa – Tel Aviv
– Ben Gurion Airport
– Be'er Sheva Inter-City Service) and the suburban line serving Haifa's northern suburbs – The Kerayot (Haifa - Kiryat Motzkin Suburban Service). The station is situated between Kiryat Motzkin Railway Station to the north and Hutzot HaMifratz Railway Station
to the south.
Highway 4
) and thus is out of walking distance from a large number of bus
lines. Two Egged
bus lines have a stop in the entrance to the tunnel beneath the station, both running at about 20 minute intervals:
Israel Railways
Israel Railways is the principal passenger railway operating company in Israel, and is responsible for all inter-city and suburban rail way passenger and freight traffic in the country. All its lines are standard gauge. The network is centered in Israel's densely populated coastal plain, from...
passenger station serving the town of Kiryat Haim
Kiryat Haim
Kiryat Haim is one of the five Krayot suburbs located north of Haifa, Israel. In 2003, Kiryat Haim had a population of 40,000. Kiryat Haim is within the municipal borders of the city of Haifa, and lies on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.-History:...
(administratively a neighborhood of Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
) and the surrounding Kerayot region.
Location
The station is situated on the North-South coastal line and is located on BrodetskySelig Brodetsky
Selig Brodetsky was a British Professor of Mathematics, a member of the World Zionist Executive, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the second president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.-Background:Brodetsky was born in Olviopol , Ukraine, the second of 13 children...
Street in the central part of the town, on the administrative border between Eastern and Western Kiryat Haim. The station is one of two railway stations serving Haifa's northern suburbs – the Krayot
HaQerayot
The Krayot are a cluster of five small cities founded in the 1930s in the Haifa Bay area, on the outskirts of the city of Haifa, Israel. The Krayot are Kiryat Yam ,...
(the other being Kiryat Motzkin Railway Station), although it is slightly smaller in terms of passenger numbers and trains serving it. The station is also one of six railway stations within Haifa's municipal borders.
History
The present-day station stands on the spot of a halt that existed as early as the 1930s on the BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
–Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
railway, constructed by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during their Mandate for Palestine, connecting Kiryat Haim's residential areas with Haifa's sea port
Port of Haifa
The Port of Haifa is the largest of Israel's three major international seaports, which include the Port of Ashdod, and the Port of Eilat. It has a natural deep water harbor which operates all year long, and serves both passenger and merchant ships. It is one of the largest ports in the eastern...
, the main employer of the residents at that time.
Until the mid-1990s a small shed was the only thing marking the station. At that time a station was constructed according to the present passenger station format of Israel Railways. The station now consists of two platform
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
s with two parallel rail tracks
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
running between them, a pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
connecting the two platforms and a small station building on the eastern side (Kiryat Haim Mizrahit (Eastern) exit) as well as an exit on the west side (Kiryat Haim Ma'aravit (Western) exit).
In the early 2000s a tunnel was constructed directly beneath the station's platforms replaced the dangerous level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
that existed just north of the station.
During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...
train service to the station was suspended after a Hezbollah Katyusha rocket hit a train depot in Haifa on July 16, 2006, killing 8 Israel Railways workers. It was restored 29 days later, on August 14, two days after the ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
went into effect.
Train service
Kiryat Haim Railway Station is a station on both the main North-South coastal line of Israel Railways (NahariyaNahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...
– Haifa – Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
– Ben Gurion Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...
– Be'er Sheva Inter-City Service) and the suburban line serving Haifa's northern suburbs – The Kerayot (Haifa - Kiryat Motzkin Suburban Service). The station is situated between Kiryat Motzkin Railway Station to the north and Hutzot HaMifratz Railway Station
Hutzot HaMifratz Railway Station
Hutzot HaMifratz Railway Station is an Israel Railways passenger station serving Hutzot HaMifratz Mall , Israel's largest open-air mall, and the surrounding Haifa-Bay industrial zone just north of Haifa.-Location:...
to the south.
Public transport connections
Kiryat Haim Railway Station is located about 1.5 km the west of the main highway ( Highway 4Highway 4 (Israel)
Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
) and thus is out of walking distance from a large number of bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
lines. Two Egged
Egged Bus Cooperative
Egged Israel Transport Cooperative Society Ltd , a cooperative owned by its members is the largest transit bus company in Israel. It provides about 55 % of public transport services throughout the country, employs 6,227 workers and has 2,861 buses for more than 928 service routes and 3,103...
bus lines have a stop in the entrance to the tunnel beneath the station, both running at about 20 minute intervals: