Haifa Bat Galim Railway Station
Encyclopedia
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 situated on the coastal railway line
Coastal railway line, Israel
The Coastal railway line is a mainline railway in Israel, which begins just south of the Lebanon-Israel border on the Mediterranean coast, near the town of Nahariya in Northern Israel and currently ends in Tel Aviv; by 2013 it will be linked to the existing Ashdod Railway Station south of Tel Aviv,...
and serves the city 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...
. The station takes its name from the neighborhood of Bat Galim
Bat Galim
Bat Galim is a neighborhood of Haifa, Israel, located at the foot of Mt. Carmel on the Mediterranean coast. Bat Galim is known for its promenade and sandy beaches.-History:...
, where it is located. The station was Haifa's main train station from its construction in 1975 until the early 2000s.
Location
The station is situated on the North-South coastal line and is located in on the southern edges of Bat GalimBat Galim
Bat Galim is a neighborhood of Haifa, Israel, located at the foot of Mt. Carmel on the Mediterranean coast. Bat Galim is known for its promenade and sandy beaches.-History:...
neighborhood. It is adjacent to Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station
Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station
The Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station was named after the neighborhood of Bat Galim. Until January 1, 2002, it served all Egged intercity bus routes originating and terminating in Haifa, as well as most local routes. The Bat Galim station was in use for about thirty years.On January 1, 2002, the...
and within walking distance of Haifa 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...
and the Rambam Health Care Campus. 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 Bat Galim Railway Station was built in 1975, along with Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus StationHaifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station
The Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station was named after the neighborhood of Bat Galim. Until January 1, 2002, it served all Egged intercity bus routes originating and terminating in Haifa, as well as most local routes. The Bat Galim station was in use for about thirty years.On January 1, 2002, the...
as part of a large public transport center between the main highway which runs through the city (Highway 4
Highway 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 the Bat Galim neighborhood. The station soon became Haifa's main railway station, largely thanks to its vicinity to the central bus station.The station was constructed with a fairly large station hall, two side platforms and three 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...
(the middle one used for freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
s bypassing passenger trains stopped at the station). The station also has a pedestrian tunnel connection the two platforms and extending to the central bus station and then to the other side of HaHagana Boulevard (some 220 m).
During the late 1990s the Haifa - Kiryat Motzkin Suburban Service was established and Haifa Bat Galim Railway Station was its southern terminus
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
. In order to accommodate the suburban trains a new short bay platform
Bay platform
Bay platform is a railway-related term commonly used in the UK and Australia to describe a dead-end platform at a railway station that has through lines...
named '1A' was built. With the construction of Hof HaCarmel Railway Station
Hof HaCarmel Railway Station
Carmel Beach Railway Station is an Israel Railways passenger station serving the city of Haifa, Israel.-Location:The station is situated on the north-south Coastal line in southwest Haifa...
, which replaced Haifa Bat Galim Railway Station as the southern terminus, platform 1A became unused.
In the early 2000s the station was updated to the preset passenger station format of Israel Railways and was superficially renovated, leaving much of the 30-year-old wear-and-tear
Wear and tear
Wear and tear is damage that naturally and inevitably occurs as a result of normal wear or aging. It is used in a legal context for such areas as warranty contracts from manufacturers, which usually stipulate that damage due to wear and tear will not be covered.Wear and tear is a form of...
in place.
The station's decline, as did its ascent, is attributed to the adjacent central bus station. In a plan to ease traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
in downtown Haifa most of the regular bus traffic was rerouted so that it starts and ends at the newly constructed central bus stations at the outskirts of the city (northbound buses terminate at Mifratz Central Bus Station as of January 1, 2001 and southbound buses terminate at the Haifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station
Haifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station
Carmel Beach Central Bus Station is the main bus station in Haifa, Israel, replacing the Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station. The former station is now only used to store Egged buses and for Egged office space and innercity buses now only stop there on the road rather than inside on the route...
as of fall 2003). This plan made the Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station
Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station
The Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station was named after the neighborhood of Bat Galim. Until January 1, 2002, it served all Egged intercity bus routes originating and terminating in Haifa, as well as most local routes. The Bat Galim station was in use for about thirty years.On January 1, 2002, the...
virtually deserted, with only a few city bus lines passing through it. The sharp decline in passenger number at the central bus station greatly effected passenger traffic at Haifa Bat Galim Railway Station as well, making it a large station with very few passengers.
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
Nahariya
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 – Ben-Gurion Airport Inter-City Service) and the suburban line serving Haifa's northern suburbs – the Krayot (Haifa - Kiryat Motzkin Suburban Service). The station is situated between Haifa Center Railway Station to the north and Hof HaCarmel Railway Station
Hof HaCarmel Railway Station
Carmel Beach Railway Station is an Israel Railways passenger station serving the city of Haifa, Israel.-Location:The station is situated on the north-south Coastal line in southwest Haifa...
to the south.
- Inter-City Service:
- On weekdays the station is served by 40 southbound and 44 northbound trains. First train departs at 04:58 and last train arrives at 00:52.
- On Fridays and holidayJewish holidayJewish holidays are days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov or chag or ta'anit...
eves the station is served by 19 southbound and 19 northbound trains. First train departs at 05:01 and last train arrives at 15:38. - On SaturdaysShabbatShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
and holiday the station is served by 6 southbound and 5 northbound trains. First train departs at 18:50 and last train arrives at 22:16.
- Suburban Service:
- On weekdays the station is served by 14 southbound and 12 northbound suburban trains to and from the Krayot. First train departs at 07:00 and last train arrives at 19:07.
Public Transport Connections
Haifa Bat Galim Railway Station is adjacent to Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus StationHaifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station
The Haifa Bat Galim Central Bus Station was named after the neighborhood of Bat Galim. Until January 1, 2002, it served all Egged intercity bus routes originating and terminating in Haifa, as well as most local routes. The Bat Galim station was in use for about thirty years.On January 1, 2002, the...
, and connected to it via a pedestrian tunnel. Although the central bus station ceased to be Haifa's main central bus station it is still served by some 14 city bus lines and is fairly easily accessible from any part of the city.