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. This page refers to urban rail mass transit systems. ... Haifa (Hebrew חֵיפָה Ḥefa, Ḥeyfa; Arabic حَيْفَا Ḥayfā) is the third-largest city in Israel, with a population close to 300,000. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. ... 1992 was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

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 uphill - an underground funicular that works much like an elevator. This also made the Carmelit cars have a very distinctive slanted design. The altitude difference between the first and last stations is 274 meters. Haifa (Hebrew חֵיפָה Ḥefa, Ḥeyfa; Arabic حَيْفَا Ḥayfā) is the third-largest city in Israel, with a population close to 300,000. ... Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. ... Angels Flight, Los Angeles, California with gantlet track configuration A funicular, also called funicular railway or inclined railway, inclined plane, or in the United Kingdom a cliff railway, consists of a system of transport in which cables attach to a tram-like vehicle on rails to move it up and... A modern elevator has buttons to allow passengers to select the desired floor. ...

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. 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 people living in Haifa are not close to any of those stations, making it very lightly used by today's Haifa population. There have been talks of extending the Carmelit's tunnels to reach more population centers, but such an extension was never done, primarily for economic reasons. Instead, the most widely used public transportation system in Haifa are Egged buses which cover most of the city. Egged Bus Cooperative is the largest bus company in Israel - and - the worlds second largest (second only to London Buses). ...

Despite the Carmelit being a very small subway system, it is not the smallest in the world - the Istanbul Tunel, spanning two stations and 573 meters, is smaller. However, since Istanbul also has a newer and bigger (though separate) subway system, sometimes the Haifa Carmelit is nevertheless mentioned as the smallest subway in the world. Shows the Location of the Province Ä°stanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul; a contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... The Tünel is a short subway line in Istanbul, Turkey. ...

In 2004, 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 have yet to materialize (Thogh a couple of those plans are alredy in constaction. For exemples see Tel Aviv Subway) This article is about light rail systems in general. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Jerusalem (31°46′ N 35°14′ E; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim; Arabic: القدس al-Quds; see also names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ... Tel Aviv Metro system has long been anticipated, as the major public transport mean of the largest and most active metropolitan of Israel. ...

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: 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.

The Baháí Arc from the International Archives building Baháí World Centre The name given to the administrative center of the Baháí Faith. ... Hadar Hacarmel is an area in the city of Haifa in Israel. ... Hadar Hacarmel is an area in the city of Haifa in Israel. ...

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

Shabbat (שבת shabbāṯ, rest in Hebrew, or Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. ...

See also

• Tel Aviv Subway (in planning stages)
• Israel Railways

Tel Aviv Metro system has long been anticipated, as the major public transport mean of the largest and most active metropolitan of Israel. ... Israel Railways (Hebrew: רכבת ישראל Rakevet Yisrael) is Israels government-owned national railway company and is responsible for all inter-city and suburban railway passenger and freight traffic in the country. ...

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