The Cable Cars will consist of 6 stations, connecting Haifa’s two universities and central bus station.
By Nosson Shulman: Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours (click here to check out his free trailer videos)
Anyone driving through Haifa (Israel’s third largest city) at various parts of the day have surely noticed the heavy traffic that blankets the industrial city. Haifa is home to two of Israel’s major ports, one inaugurated only last week while the other has been the gateway to about 50% of Israel’s imports up until now. There are also two major universities (including Technion, the highest ranked university in the Middle East and recipient of many Noble prizes), not to mention factories and a high-tech center (Google and Intel both have a major presence here). It is clearly no wonder that Haifa is bustling with motorists! The issue is compounded by the topography of Haifa, built on the steep slopes of Biblical Mount Carmel (for more on this special mountain, click here). In order to help alleviate traffic, a creative solution has been found; building a cable car system as part of the public transportation infrastructure.
The Haifa cable car system, built at a cost of 330 million shekels (103 million US), will be fully operational by October. Every 30 seconds, a car will leave from the station carrying up to 10 people at a time, and there is to be 150 cars altogether. The cable car will connect Haifa University, Technion University, the Central Bus Station and one of the city’s train stations. This will mean that train passengers coming from outside the city will be able to access these locations, which were largely inaccessible, without a car. The entire ride from beginning to end (assuming travel through all 6 stations) will only be 19 minutes, and the route will be 4.4 kms altogether (2.75 miles). All cable cars will be fully accessible by bus and are expected to be used mainly by students.
This is not Haifa’s first attempt at finding a creative solution for mass public transit. Already, the city hosts Israel’s only current underground Metro system (the world’s smallest with only 6 stations). The Tel Aviv light rail, currently in construction, will also have a Metro component to it when completed.
Although this will be Israel’s first mass transit cable cars system (the others at Masada, Rosh Hanikra, and elsewhere are used only for tourism purposes only), it is not to be the last. Currently, a similar system is being built in Jerusalem, which will connect the Old City to some of its surrounding neighborhoods.
Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.
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