The government's decision to evacuate the industry almost completely thwarts the possibility of evacuating the tracks from Haifa's shores
The government's decision regarding the evacuation of industry from Haifa Bay poses a huge difficulty to those who dreamed that the railroads would ever be evacuated from the coastal area in Haifa.
In fact, the entire transportation chapter of the decision deals with the issue of the railways in Haifa. The government's decision states: first electrification (the existing route) and only then will we examine the issue of the tunnel.
Thus in the language of the decision:
"Implementation of Subtalan 65B (the plan that deals with the rail route between the Carmel Beach and the Gulf Central) is conditional on the completion of the electrification of the railway tracks in Haifa up to the Gulf Central Station."
Electric poles along Haifa's beaches
In light of the government's decision - as well as previous discussions and decisions in the planning administration - the conclusion is that the State of Israel will do everything so that there will soon be electricity poles along the beaches of Haifa.
It should be clarified, the plan to add the rails is actually two plans:
Subtalel 65A deals with the route of the rails up to the HaCarmel Beach station, while Subtalel 65B deals with the issue of the rails up to the Gulf Central station. It should be emphasized that there is no binding relationship between these programs. In other words, there is no necessity for sub-paragraph 65b to be promoted at all.
Where the Ministry of Transportation was working to finish Subtal 65A at the Carmel Beach, the fear intensified that it would not work for the rail tunnel. A review of the Israel Railways plan for the vicinity of the Carmel Beach station, definitively confirmed the assumption that the rail tunnel project would not be promoted at all.
Precisely because of this, the Municipality of Haifa in its statements opposed the termination/"splitting" of the plan at the Carmel Beach station. But statements are separate and actions are separate. In practice, the Haifa municipality supported the splitting of the plan at the Carmel Beach station, while fighting the residents of Haifa and the north who proposed to evacuate the station from the coastal area.
The municipality hoped that if enough political pressure was exerted, eventually the Ministry of Transportation would promote in the next phase (TTL 65b) a route from Minahar to 4 tracks, according to the municipality's vision
An alternative that has eye catching
However, as pointed out by many, the above sketch is, in my opinion, just eye catching. Such a curved tunnel is not economical - because it produces almost no shortening of travel time - and therefore it will never be promoted either.
And here the government's decision brought about a very significant change.
The government's decision states that Subtalel 65b (the rail tunnel in Haifa) will be defined as a priority 2 national infrastructure project (only the metro is "priority 1").
In other words, the government's decision thwarted the Ministry of Transportation's attempt to make a coup and end the program at the Carmel Beach station. Given the addition of the project to the list of projects defined as "priority 2", it can be said that a certain tunneling project, of at least 2 tracks, will be tough.
In this way, the government's decision is very significant news for Haifa and the entire north!
But it should be emphasized that nowhere is there a commitment to budget for a tunnel of 4 tracks through Haifa (and according to the strategic plan of Israel Railways, 4 tracks are required to pass through Haifa).
In the discussions of the inter-ministerial forum that dealt with the issue, the Ministry of Finance expressed a position that it is ready to dedicate up to NIS 6.8 billion for the rail tunnel in Haifa, and what to do, this amount is not enough for a 4-rail tunnel. In fact, this amount is enough for a 2-rail tunnel only.
It should also be remembered that the government's decision only establishes the general principle. The procedure for examining alternatives takes place in the Committee for National Infrastructures (whose members are representatives of government ministries). In this state of affairs, in the not too distant future there will be a discussion in the Committee for National Infrastructures regarding the route of the 2 rails in the tunnel.
And when the National Infrastructures Committee returns and is required to decide on the route of those 2 railroads, it will return to the latest government decision that dealt with the issue - the decision to evacuate industry from the Gulf - and examine what was said in it.
This is how the government's decision opens:
"With the aim of leading to the development and economic-social advancement of the Haifa Bay in particular, and of the Haifa metropolis in general, which includes a vision to create rich and high-quality employment centers and residences for the residents of the north of the State of Israel, and improving the quality of the air and the environment of the residents of the bay."
Therefore, the government is focused on the development of the Gulf and the North, for the residents of the North of the State of Israel.
Given this definition by the government, it is understandable that a direct tunnel solution from the central station of the Gulf to the coastal railway, on the other side of Carmel, the "Sdera tunnel", will be perceived as the most attractive by the decision makers.
Sedara tunnel route with travel times to Tel Aviv (center)
Another important point is that projects for national infrastructure are promoted according to their transportation-economic viability, and this is measured by shortening the aggregate travel time (of all passengers).
In terms of cost-effectiveness (shortening the travel time of all passengers), the Sdera tunnel has a significant advantage over the route alternative preferred by the Haifa municipality.
The Sdera tunnel significantly supports the plan to evacuate industry from the bay, as the removal of industry depends on the sale of 70,000 housing units in the vicinity. However, as we know, both in Haifa and in the north there is a phenomenon of "negative migration", where the most talented move to live in the center of the country.
In Haifa, 700 housing units were sold in 2021, and at this rate it will take 100 years to sell the amount of housing units required to finance the Green Bay plan. When it was clear that there was no real possibility of selling housing units, the Treasury blocked the plan to evacuate the industry from the Gulf.
The influence of Menhard Avenue on the sale of the new apartments
This reality could have been different, if the Haifa municipality had supported the Sdera tunnel. For many years, the municipality of Haifa opposed the Sdera tunnel solution, arguing that the tunnel would allow the residents of the north to "bypass" Haifa.
At a meeting of the Planning Administration, the mayor, Dr. Einat Kalish-Rotem, stated - "I have never heard such an absurdity in my life that you want to bypass a metropolitan city in order to reach the next metropolitan city."
Listen to the words of Dr. Einat Kalish-Rotem - Mayor of Haifa
The plan for the development of the bay did not cause the Haifa District Committee, the Israel Land Authority or the Haifa Municipality to change their position on the issue of the railroads. Above every stage, they repeated the mantra - we will not allow the residents of the north to bypass the "first city".
This is what the district committee (Haifa) stated in the discussion:
"Haifa is its capital city, it is the heart of the metropolis, and like other metropolitan cities, Jerusalem, Beer Sheva and Tel Aviv, the high-speed rails do not skip the city, so alternative 102 does not skip the city, compared to alternative 101 [the boulevard alternative]...Alternative 101 actually skips the city of Haifa It strengthens the connection between the north and Tel Aviv and the center, but it greatly weakens the connection between Haifa and the north and thus we lose the city of Haifa that we all want to strengthen."
Watch the words of Hadar Sela, Deputy Planner of National Spatial Projects at the District Planning Office of the Ministry of the Interior, who supports Alternative 102
But at the national level, thinking has begun to change.
Shifting the "metropolitan center" to the north
At the last meeting of the Planning Administration on the subject about 3 months ago, a representative of the Ministry of Transportation noted: "More plans are being promoted in the Haifa region that are beginning to turn the story of the center and what it is a metropolitan center into a question mark. Suddenly the gulf of innovation shifts the focus a bit, suddenly it is hard for us to say that the center of the city It is located in the Kiryat Havant area."
Therefore, there are more and more signs that the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Finance are squinting towards a solution for the boulevard tunnel. The government's decision to strengthen the bay only adds to and further supports the boulevard alternative.
Where a 2-rail tunnel solution according to the boulevard alternative will be prioritized, why invest another NIS 5 billion to divert an existing route a few hundred meters east? What economic-transport benefit is there in such a tunnel? Especially when it is a complex engineering project in an urban environment close to the sea (which creates a serious problem of groundwater). Why would the Department of Transportation assign any management inputs in such a project?
Assessment: Klish will declare war with the Ministry of Transport
The government's decision will not allow the municipality of Haifa to oppose electrification, so the municipality no longer has real bargaining power. It is understood that the mayor will climb the barricades on the issue - while declaring another war on the Ministry of Transport - but such conduct will only exacerbate the danger that the rails will remain on the coast.
In about 3 months, the issue will return to discussion in Tel, and if the municipality is not a partner in the solution, the Sdera tunnel will be on the agenda again, and this time without any commitment to the route tunnel in the west of the city.
Haifa municipality's mistake
Therefore, the entire situation we are in is a direct result of the conduct of the Haifa Municipality and the Haifa District Committee. The district committee of the North District, by the way, demanded a tunnel of 2 tracks, already in the first stage, up to the government building (the rocket building), but the municipality of Haifa and the district committee of Haifa opposed this too!
What is the reason?
Probably a difficult ego problem, because there is no logical reason to oppose the tunnel to the government building in the first stage.
The only solution, if there is still a solution at this stage, is the creation of a single political front, with the authorities in the north of the country (including in the Gulf of course), in favor of a full tunnel of 4 tracks, with the base being the boulevard route.
The solution that we presented to the planning administration combines the transportation-economic benefit of the boulevard tunnel with the environmental benefit of the western axis tunnel, so
As mentioned, the municipality used all its political weight against the boulevard concept - lest the residents of the north "bypass" Haifa - and it succeeded! or so she thought. In practice, the fact that the Ministry of Transportation drew a sketch on the map in accordance with the municipality's requirements (so that it would agree to electrification in the city's territory), really does not mean that such a sketch will ever be promoted.
Clearly illogical transport plans
In fact, both the municipality and the district committee of Haifa behaved like an elephant in a china shop in their conduct. They did not understand that there is a limit to how far it is possible to lead clearly illogical transportation plans.
In conclusion, under the conditions created, in my estimation the boulevard alternative will gain increasing priority in the next meetings of the planning administration.
Only a united front that supports a full tunnel solution of 4 tracks, including the boulevard route, may lead to a solution that removes the tracks from the coastal environment. As of today, in view of the conduct of the municipality and the district committee, there is a real danger that the existing tracks will remain in the coastal environment, plus poles and electrical cables, for decades to come.
Klish is right. Your plan will weaken the city and destroy its businesses. This tunnel with the Kiryat government station is an eye catch that you present while fully understanding that it will not come to fruition and it only works to silence the residents of the city who understand that this boulevard tunnel is a death knell for the city. Your goal is to strengthen Kiryat Haim at the expense of the rest of Haifa. Your war has two possible outcomes: either all of Haifa south of the center of the Gulf becomes cut off from the railway, or Haifa ceases to be a draw anchor for the Kiryats and remains with the railway track that separates it from the sea. In both cases this is a fatal injury to Haifa and its transformation into a remote and unimportant city.
It's not really clear why you fight so hard to destroy the city. Could it be that you are faking life? That would explain a lot.
A terrifying plan that destroys the city. It is not clear why she has supporters at all.
For anyone who lives north of the center of the Gulf, Tel Aviv will be more accessible than Haifa, something that will destroy the businesses in the city. And for the Haifaites themselves, following the change, a train will become less available because the stations in the city center are canceled and they are located in the suburbs, similar to the new stations or stations like Netanya - distant and inconvenient.
We are already used to the officials and politicians sitting in Jerusalem trying to destroy the city, but it is scary to see that now the residents of Haifa are also joining the effort. Sad and shameful.
An interview with Dr. Amir Gilat on the subject -
https://youtu.be/dOyTslGXqso
An alternative that is not at all clear to me why it was not considered:
A tunnel on a route parallel to the Carmel tunnels, a station at the Grand Canyon and an optional station at Moriah Ave. After all, there are already the Carmel tunnels, even if along the route it is not at the same level, it makes the work easier. There is also the possibility that the train will exit the tunnel long after the Carmel beach and solve the problem of copying if desired. No matter what article I see, they never explain why they don't put a tunnel on this route. Haifa is developing southward, and the Grand Canyon is becoming an increasingly central place, whether it's the tunnels, the cable car, the new neighborhoods that are being built in the vicinity, Nahal HaGivori road and more. If they build the boulevard tunnel, Haifa will be thin from here on out, it won't have a fast station that you can get to relatively easily, and it will also have to continue to suffer from a lousy suburban train that no one will invest in sinking once the high-speed line is built.
Very nice.
The boulevard tunnel, which shortens the transit time for trains north of Haifa, in addition diverts the tracks from all areas of the city of Haifa and its beaches, is a welcome project and bound by reality.
It's so strange that the city that will benefit the most from this project, which is Haifa, opposes it and adopts an alternative that it is clear will never happen and will end up being destroyed, of sedimentation that is 3-4-5 times more expensive than the construction of the railway tunnels. If at all possible because of the Katsaa pipeline and groundwater.
It is strange that the city engineer misleads the residents and the planning bodies and instead of understanding that this railway tunnel is an opening for a huge lever of marketing shared land and the development of the beach neighborhoods that is already waiting in the plans presented to the neighborhoods, then he is busy with a massive expansion of the Carmel Beach station and in fact the destruction of the Carmel Beach in front of the station, everything will be shaved down to the beach parking lots and will become another area of an unnecessary monstrous station.
Another reason why we need a young mayor with long-term thinking, knowledge of transportation and environmental development, knowledge of managing mega projects such as the train tunnel through the mountain in front of government offices. Klish just doesn't have it.
The boulevard tunnel makes the most sense!!!
Strong and courageous Dvir Langer. You are fighting for Etzid Haifa and the north. Like the boy who put his finger in the dam and wished it would succeed. To claim that the avenue tunnel alternative skips Haifa is a joke.
The alternative will stop at the HaCarmel Beach station in the center in the southern part of Haifa. After that, you will pass through the Valley of the Heroes, at the bottom of which a huge station can be built that will serve the 100,000 residents of Carmel better than any current station on the coastline and will save millions of unnecessary emissions per year.
And finally, the boulevard tunnel will exit in the heart of the bay, which, together with the evacuation of the industry, will reach the metropolitan center where tens of thousands of residents will be added.
And from there to Kiryat Haim, also in Haifa.
In other words, to claim that an alternative to a tunnel through the mountain bypasses Haifa is a completely absurd argument. On the contrary, from the Check Post you can reach Kiryat Shvarat in five minutes by light or servarit train and another five minutes to Bat Galim. That's how it is all over the world.
Let's face it, the tunnel alternative is the only one that is really possible as you wrote. Groundwater and oil line considerations and cost will lead to the decision not to implement deposition on the coast, and then what? We left with double damage!!
Cliché, if she had sense and foresight, she should have gone with a t-shirt on her as a straw "Only the train derailment in Haifa, not electrification!" Three years ago they would have started a tunnel like the Carmel tunnels and in a year it would have been ready. It's not too late, we must enter the tunnel now and move the Hoof Carmel station to the east and cross the railway tunnel bridge. Dvir, don't give up for the sake of all the residents of Haifa and the north, only the boulevard tunnel makes sense and can be done
Thanks Eyal, your detailed responses are enlightening and add important and interesting information.
Good luck getting the Ministry of Transportation to make _two_ tunnels.
Kudos also for the persistence with the Nahal HaGivuri station that does not exist in any plan, not even in Dvir Langer's plan.
By the way, the "center of the city" is not the geographical center but the area where commercial/business activity is strongest in the city, usually the "old city". Anyone who has ever visited Europe was there to see it, in the US it is "Downtown". In Haifa it is the intersection of Paris Square-Hadar-Center of the Carmel. No matter how many suburbs are built, this will remain the center. To cut it off from the train is real stupidity. Klish is right - Your plan eliminates Haifa as a metropolitan city and turned Kiryat into a kind of distant suburb of Tel Aviv. Even if a million trains pass through Kiryat Shmuel, if the plan makes it faster from Kiryat Bialik to reach Tel Aviv than the center of Haifa, this is the destruction of the city and a direct harm in her business.
All over the world, a train station in major cities is in the center of the city and not in a distant suburb. Kiryat Haim is 5% of the residents of Haifa, this plan benefits them while harming 95% of the residents.
And let's ask Google.
Travel times from the center of the Gulf:
Bat Galim - 27 minutes
Hadar - 22 minutes
Carmel center - 35 minutes
Carmel French - 27 minutes
Estate - 40 minutes
Carmelia - 45 minutes
Neve Shaanan - 26 minutes
Do you think it's reasonable? It's called "the train station that stopped the city"? Instead of bringing the train closer to the residents, you are looking to move it away!
According to Kalish-Rotem's logic, we should have fought both on Route 6, which makes it possible to bypass Haifa, and on the National Highway, which makes it possible to escape from Israel.
Maybe the way to attract people somewhere is not by imprisoning them and not putting sticks in their wheels?
Your letter, Amit, to the committee of CEOs for the evacuation of the industry, influenced the government's decision on the matter. Well done!
And according to your logic, the Ayalon axis should be destroyed and the train should be taken from the center of Tel Avi to Rosh Ha'Ein. And the Tel Avivians will get along.