Haifa Center HaShmona railway station
Haifa Center HaShmona חיפה מרכז השמונה | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | 67 Haatzmaut St., Haifa[1] Israel |
Platforms | 3 |
Tracks | 3 |
Construction | |
Parking | 300 free spaces[1] |
Accessible | Yes[1] |
History | |
Opened | 1937 |
Rebuilt | 2003-2004 |
Passengers | |
2019 | 2,242,279[2] |
Rank | 22 out of 68 |
Haifa Center HaShmona railway station (
Location
The station is situated on the north–south coastal line and is located on Plumer Square (Hebrew: כיכר פלומר, Kikar Plumer) along Independence Road (Hebrew: דרך העצמאות, Derekh HaAtzma'ut) in Haifa's downtown (or Lower-Town). The station is one of three railway stations serving the city of Haifa directly and also one of six railway stations within Haifa's municipal borders. However, despite ostensibly being the city's central station, it is significantly less busy than Hof HaCarmel station on the city's southwestern outskirts.
History
Haifa Center railway station was built by the British during their Mandate for Palestine and was opened in 1937. The station was built on territory reclaimed from the Mediterranean Sea during the construction of Haifa Port in the 1930s. The station building was built in the Bauhaus style and was aligned with the buildings that stood on HaAtzmaut Road (then Kingsway), thus it is not parallel to the rail tracks and platforms at the station.
At first the station was constructed with two
Several years later a second story was added to the station building to increase its office capacity (this was possible because the building was designed to have up to four stories).
During the 1950s and 1960s Plumer Square housed one of Haifa's Central Bus Stations, until it was relocated to
Until 1980 the head office of
In the years 2003-2004 the station underwent extensive upgrading and renovation. The station has been made
During the
On July 16, 2007, one year after the incident, the station was renamed "Haifa Merkaz Hashemona" (Haifa Center of the Eight) to commemorate the eight victims.
On December 16, 2021, National Infrastructure Plan 65-Bet was approved. Under this plan, the station would be relocated underground and renamed Haifa Government District (Hebrew: חיפה קריית הממשלה), while an expanded Hof HaCarmel would become Haifa's official central train station.
Train service
Haifa Center is a station on both the main north–south
- Inter-City Service:
- On weekdaysthe station is served by 61 southbound and 62 northbound trains 24 hours a day, with additional trains offered on peak travel days (Sundays and Thursdays).
- On Fridays and holidayeves the station is served by 21 southbound and 21 northbound trains. The last train departs at 15:59 and the last train arrives at 17:48.
- On Saturdays and holidays the station is served by 6 southbound and 5 northbound trains. The first train arrives at 22:23 and the first train departs 21:03.
- On
- Suburban Service:
- On weekdays the station is served by 32 southbound and 35 northbound suburban trains traveling from Haifa to Akko or Nahariya.
Preceding station | Israel Railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
HaMifratz Central towards Nahariya
|
Nahariya–Modi'in | Haifa Bat Galim towards Modi'in Central
| ||
Nahariya–Beersheba | Haifa Bat Galim towards Be'er Sheva Center
| |||
HaMifratz Central towards Karmiel
|
Karmiel–Beersheba | |||
Karmiel–Haifa | Haifa Bat Galim towards Haifa Hof HaCarmel
| |||
HaMifratz Central towards Beit She'an
|
Beit She'an–Atlit | Haifa Bat Galim towards Atlit
|
Station layout
Platform numbers increase in an East-to-West direction
Side platform | |
Platform 1 | Nahariya–Modi'in Advancing toward Be'er Sheva Central (Haifa Bat Galim) → ) →
Karmiel–Haifa Advancing toward Haifa Hof HaCarmel (Haifa Bat Galim) → Beit She'an–Atlit Advancing toward Atlit (Haifa Bat Galim |
Platform 2 | ← Nahariya–Modi'in and Nahariya–Beersheba Returning toward Nahariya (HaMifratz Central) ← Karmiel–Beersheba and Karmiel–Haifa Returning toward Karmiel (HaMifratz Central) ← Beit She'an–Atlit Returning toward Beit She'an (HaMifratz Central) |
Island platform | |
Platform 3 | ← Termination track – not in ordinary use → |
Ridership
Year | Passengers | Rank | Source |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 1,066,835 ( 292,973) | 23 of 66 ( 1) | 2021 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report |
2020 | 773,862 ( 1,468,417) | 22 of 68 () | 2020 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report |
2019 | 2,242,279 | 22 of 68 | 2019 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report |
Public transport connections
Haifa Center Railway Station is located next to HaAtzmaut Road, a major public transport artery, thus easily accessible from both bus and Sherut Taxi (share taxi). Bus lines include:
- Mifratz Central Bus Station.
- Metronit line 2: Mifratz Central Bus Station.
- 14: Bat Galim neighborhood (Circular) (Operated on Saturdays only).
- 17: Technion.
- 18: Bat Galim railway station–Neve Sha'ananneighborhood.
- 19/19א: Bat Galim neighborhood–Technion (Evenings and nights only).
- 36: Bat Galim railway station–University
- 200: Haifa Bay CBS- Dado Beach (Nights only).
- 205: Haifa Central railway station–Tirat Carmel (Weekend nights only).
- 236: Haifa Central railway station–Central Carmel.
- 331 and 332: Suburban lines to Nazareth.
The station is also within a short walking distance from the Port of Haifa's passenger terminal and is near Kikar Pariz (Hebrew: כיכר פריז, Paris Square) – a Carmelit (Haifa's subway) station.
Facilities
- Payphone
- Ticket cashier
- Ticket machine
- Buffet
- Parking lot
- Toilet
- Taxistation
References
- ^ a b c "Haifa Center HaShmona". Israel Railways. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008.
- ^ "2019 Freedom of Information Law Annual Report" (PDF). Israel Railways.
- ^ "From press release of May". Israel Railways (Press release). May 2009. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2013.