The cable car is a cable car that belongs to the public transportation system in Haifa that connects the transportation center "Hafaretz Center" with the Technion and the university.
the cable car
The length of the cable car route is about 4.5 km and it bridges a height difference of 460 m. There are 3 passenger stations along the line: the Gulf Central, the Technion and the University. The travel time from the Bay Center to the Technion is about 10 minutes and from the Technion to the University about 9 minutes.
The system includes 156 cars and the capacity of each car is 10 passengers. 36 steel poles were placed along the route, on which the cables on which the wagons travel are stretched. The height of the columns varies, depending on the topography, between 4 and 30 m.
A brief history of the cable car
The beginning of the cable car was in 1965, about 30 years before the operation of the "Goral Eggs". The idea of building a cable car that would connect Haifa Bay with the Technion and the University was then raised in Haifa Municipality. The idea was dormant until 1999, when during the tenure of Amram Mitzna As mayor, the local planning and construction committee approved in principle the plan to build another cable car besides the one that had been operating since 1986 between Bat Galim and Stella Maris.
After another coma, in 2007, the municipality announced the launch of the program at a cost of approximately NIS 180 million. In 2008, after the fear of an increase in construction costs arose, the municipality began in-depth feasibility studies. After another 6 years, in 2014, the mayor at the time Mr Yona Yahav He announced the start of the project while promising that it would start operating in a year and a half! In 2016, the Ministry of Transportation entered the picture and promised to support the project, the updated cost of which has increased in the meantime, to about NIS 280 million. But only in 2017 was the cornerstone laid for the cable car.
In 2018, the actual construction works began and the updated cost grew to approximately NIS 315 million. In 2019, the first pages of "the cable car" began to be placed, but the road to its operation was still long. First, legal disputes were discovered between the companies that won the construction tender. After that, the corona epidemic also delayed the construction. And at the last stage there were differences of opinion regarding the operation of the project (will it also be operated on Shabbat?)... At the end of the day, in April 2022, almost 60 years after the idea was first raised in the Haifa municipality, the cable car was launched!
The cable car line, including the stations, were designed by the firm "Mansfeld Architects Ltd."
Architects Mansfeld-Khath, designers of the cable car line
The firm of Mansfeld-Kahat architects grew out of the firm founded in 1935 by Prof. Al Mansfeld, winner of the Israel Prize for Architecture (1965), designer of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (together with Edr. Dora Gat). His son, Mickey Mansfeld, joined the firm in 1972.
Today, the firm is managed by four partners: Miki Mansfeld, Haim Kahat, Tal Deutsch and Dana Kahat. The office has two branches, in Haifa and Tel Aviv and employs about 25 professional employees. The firm's planning areas are diverse: city planning, residences, public buildings, commerce and offices, infrastructures, culture and sports.
The projects that the office planned in Haifa include: Sami Ofer Stadium, Hecht Museum (Haifa University), Auditorium Square And of course cable car line, including the Technion station and the university were designed by the ministry.
The cable car - success or failure?
A survey conducted after the first 7 months of operation revealed that during the period under review, approximately 5000 passengers used the cable car on average per day, compared to approximately 2400 passengers per hour - the planned number of passengers.
The result of the survey is quite disappointing, but not surprising, given the fact that the existing stations reduce the population of potential cable car users from the start. Both the Technion station and that of the university are on the outskirts of the campuses, a fact that does not encourage the use of the cable car even among the students themselves.
There is no doubt that the population of cable car users would have increased significantly, if passenger stations had been established in the launch areas between the campuses and the neighboring residential neighborhoods, for example in the Ziv center area in Neve Shanan or in the Ramot Yitzhak area. Passenger stations in these areas would make the cable car a very useful means of public transportation.
In the absence of stations in the residential areas, the cable cars are doomed to move empty most of the day when the students are busy with their studies on the campuses. The hope that the tourists will be the ones to fill the carriages during the rest of the day has not been realized so far either, partly because of its non-operation on Shabbat.
My thanks are hereby given to architect Aurelia Kiermeier, the former architect of the Technion campus, for her help in preparing the article.
Dear readers,
The articles in this section are based on open information published in sources such as Wikipedia and other websites and may include various historical inaccuracies arising from the aforementioned sources.
In short, without operation on Shabbat, the addition of at least 2 more stations (it was not initially planned that there would be 6 stations) is a tremendous waste of resources that, apart from a few tourists who use it as an attraction along the way on a day of visiting Haifa, it has little use. As always another huge project of the Ministry of Transport from the last decade that turned out to be a serious flop. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the ministers of transportation in the last 15 years are the biggest losers and not necessarily someone with professional knowledge or even a real seriousness for change.
They must be activated on Saturday, unfortunately they are also disabled all the time, not working properly... many problems. And yes, we would be happy for more stations... and God forbid not to reduce hours. Getting into the Technion is quite easy
The initial idea for the cable car was that of Prof. Shlomo Gilad, who at the time prepared a master plan for the Technion and also for the University of Haifa. The idea included a connection between the two institutions only. In the late nineties, the idea was revived by the initiative of Hav. Yaffe Nof, but this time while connecting the two institutions to the new transportation center-Hafaretz Central. Unfortunately, Yaffe Nof did not see it as a goal for the cable car to also provide service to the neighborhoods adjacent to the two campuses or to Sabioni Dania/Nesher, which is on the way.
This is a big miss.
The predictions of Yafa Nof that the project would be economical and could be established using the bot method did not materialize and the tender using this method - failed. Years later the Ministry of Transport decided to finance the project and then it came to fruition.
A week ago I traveled by cable car, which is comfortable and greatly shortens the time compared to a bus.
I saw that there are other inactive stations, why?
A computer-controlled system without a driver, so why doesn't it work on Saturdays?
Transportation on Shabbat is an essential service that should work full stop
Thanks for your comment, I agree with your opinion. good week!
The peak of the unnecessary creation!!!
Drives from nowhere to nowhere most of the day....and in the best case takes the people of the Galilee (who delayed the direct bus...) from the heart of the Gulf to the university...
A horrendous and completely unnecessary waste!!!!
Although I have no understanding at all, it seems very strange to me that residential neighborhoods are not part of the line, after all, if I'm not mistaken, Neve Shanan is the most populated neighborhood in Israel. Why didn't we plan the line through the neighborhoods in advance?
thank you for your response. Indeed, what seemed so logical to a person with common sense was not clear to the decision makers.
Hello David,
Some facts you listed need updating:
1. There are 148 cars on the cables.
2. The Mansfeld office designed the 2 stations at the Technion and the one at the university. Mashad Gordon Architects designed the cable car station in the center of the bay and the Golan Architects office designed the Check Post station and Derech Dori station.
3. There was no dispute between the contractors performing the project. The Ministry of Transportation transferred the project from the responsibility of the Yaffe Nef company to the responsibility of Israel Routes in 2020.
And for the rest of the respondents:
There are a total of 6 stations, of which 3 are open to the public and one is operational.
Like all public transportation, the operation is financed by the Ministry of Transportation. Haifa benefits from the property tax.
Thanks for your comment, Ilan, you added important information. I will update the article accordingly. good week!
If the cable car also works on the weekends, the occupancy and usage will increase dramatically.
This is Haifa public transportation that should work like the buses.
Haifa has a status quo and a diverse population of all religions.
Thank you for your comment that reinforces my point.
At least reduce the hours of activity. It doesn't make sense at 05:11 in the morning that vans will travel like that at night until 00:XNUMX. In my opinion, it should be activated according to the demand. There are no passengers to stop. Less wear and tear and electricity
I want to take the grandchildren, do I have to pay with Rav Ko or can I pay in cash?
A multi-line is needed.
Funded with property tax funds
Who pays the current operating loss and what is its amount?
Without a doubt
success!
Yesterday I went by cable car. A fun trip with the grandchildren.
We counted a total of 5 stations. One at the university. Three intermediate stations in and below the Technion. From the heart of the bay station.