Haifa Center HaShmona Railway Station

Haifa Center HaShmona Railway Station ( _he. תחנת הרכבת חיפה מרכז השמונה, "Taḥanat HaRakevet Ḥefa Merkaz") is an Israel Railways passenger station serving the City of Haifa. Although it is called Haifa's Central Station the title is largely historical. Nowadays it is far from being central both by passenger numbers and location-wise.

Location

The station is situated on the North-South coastal line and is located on Plumer Square along HaAtzmaut Road ( _he. כיכר פלומר, דרך העצמאות, "Kikar Plumer, 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.

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 constriction of Haifa Port in the 1930s. The station building was build in the Bauhaus style and was aligned with the buildings the stood on HaAtzmaut Road (then - Kingsway), thus it isn't parallel to the rail tracks and platforms at the station.

At first the station was constructed with two side platforms, but over time a third rail track was added along the far-side platform, thus making it an island platform. The station's platforms are the second longest in the county – spanning for 280 meters.

Several years later a second story was added to the station building to increase it's office capacity (this was possible because the building was designed to have four stories).

During the 1950s and 1960s Plumer Square housed one of Haifa's Central Bus Station, until it was relocated to Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station in the 1970s.

In the years 2003-2004 the station underwent extensive upgrading and renovation. The station has been made accessible for the disabled. The low bridge connecting the two platforms was replaced by a tunnel with elevators (the bridge was too low for the planned overhead electrical lines). During the upgrade both the interior and exterior of the station were renovated and updated to the present passenger station standard of Israel Railways.

During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict train service to the station was suspended after a Hezbollah Katyusha rocket hit a nearby train depot 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.

On July 16, 2007, one year after the incident, the station was renamed "Haifa Merkaz "Hashemona" to commemorate the eight victims.

Train Service

Haifa Center Railway Station is a station on both the main North-South coastal line of Israel Railways (Nahariya – Haifa – Tel-Aviv – Ben-Gurion Airport Inter-City Service) and the suburban line serving Haifa's northern suburbs – The Qrayot (Haifa - Qiryat Motzkin Suburban Service). The station is situated between Lev HaMifratz Railway Station to the north and Haifa Bat-Galim Railway Station to the south.

*Inter-City Service:
**On weekdays the station is served by 40 southbound and 44 northbound trains. First train departs at 04:55 and last train arrives at 00:57.
**On Fridays and holiday eves the station is served by 19 southbound and 19 northbound trains. First train departs at 04:56 and last train arrives at 15:43.
**On Saturdays and holiday the station is served by 6 southbound and 5 northbound trains. First train departs at 18:47 and last train arrives at 22:21.

*Suburban Service:
**On weekdays the station is served by 14 southbound and 12 northbound suburban trains to and from The Qrayot. First train departs at 07:05 and last train arrives at 19:03.

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:
*3: Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station - Haifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station (one way only).
*5: Governmental Quarter – Grand Canyon Mall.
*15/16: Circular line from Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station to Neve Sha'anan neighborhood and back (onw way only).
*17: Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station – Technion.
*101: Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station - Mifratz Central Bus Station via Down-Town.
*103: Haifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station - Mifratz Central Bus Station via Down-Town.

The station is also adjacent to Haifa Port passenger terminal and Kikar Pariz ( _he. כיכר פריז, "Paris Square") a Carmelit (Haifa's subway) station.

Facilities

*Payphone
*Ticket cashier
*Ticket machine
*Buffet
*Parking lot
*Toilet
*Taxi station

External links

* [http://www.israrail.org.il/english/index.html Israel Railways website]
* [http://www.railnewsil.com/english/index.html RailnewsIL]

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