The bridge connecting the platforms of the Valley Railway and the platforms of the Coastal Line was inaugurated this morning (Thursday) at the Gulf Central in Haifa, in the presence of the Minister of Transportation and Road Safety, Bezalel Smotrich, the CEO of Israel Railways, Michael (Micah) Meixner and other dignitaries.
Minister of Transportation, Bezalel Smotrich:
The transportation center that we are inaugurating today is an example of what the transportation future should look like. Transportation connectivity that will significantly ease the citizen and support public transportation that is friendly to every user. The development of public transportation is the horizon and future of all of us to solve the growing transportation crisis in the State of Israel. I thank the employees of the railway and the general manager of the railway for the great work, the mayor whom I find a partner in important things for the promotion of transportation in the city and in the north in general, and I congratulate all of us that we will get to participate in many more initiation ceremonies of national projects that will lead public transportation forward in the State of Israel.
CEO of Israel Railways, Michael (Micah) Meixner:
I am proud to inaugurate another layer in the public transportation revolution in Israel, in which the train is a central component. I thank the employees of Israel Railways and the execution company for their excellent work, I congratulate the residents of Haifa and their mayor, and of course I thank my friend the Minister of Transportation for his mobilization for rail transportation in Israel and its advancement.
The Gulf Central public transport center in Haifa, which was built and maintained by the 'Yefa Nof' company, is the largest public transport center in Israel, serving the residents of the Haifa metropolis and the entire northern region. The center includes dozens of bus platforms, a metro station, two main train lines and in the future even a cable car.
The train station in the center serves about 270 thousand passengers on average every month. The bridge that was inaugurated in the morning ceremony was built by the Israel Railways execution division, significantly shortens the time of walking in the station and enables easy and quick passage between the platforms of the two train lines passing through the station, as well as a transition from train to the other means of transportation at the station.
Along with the construction of the bridge, Israel Railways upgraded the station platforms and extended them by approximately 130 meters, in order to increase the passenger capacity of the station platforms.
Although the platforms are mentioned, what is not explicitly written is, is the bridge really internal, i.e. is it possible to cross it only after passing a ticket at one of the checkpoints.