Petition to the High Court of Justice regarding the railway tracks in Haifa and Ba'alit – Haifa Municipality is required to respond
Last night (Wednesday, 2/4/2025) a petition was submitted to the High Court of Justice dealing with the planning of the railway tracks in Haifa and Atlit. Judge Noam Solberg ordered the Haifa Municipality to submit its response to the petition by 9/4/2025, when there is hope that the municipality will express support for the petition.
This is a significant decision point, which could be the municipality's last opportunity to act against Israel Railways' planned move - placing electrical poles along Haifa's coast and expanding the Carmel Beach station into the coastal area - without a clear horizon for clearing the tracks from the coastal area in the future.
The petitioners are asking the High Court of Justice to issue an injunction to halt the continued advancement of National Infrastructure Plan No. 65A (TAT 65A), which relates to the addition of railway tracks in Haifa and Atlit, until the overall planning of the Haifa area is completed within the framework of TAT 65B.
The petition claims that there is a "segment of overlap" between the two plans (65A and 65B), regarding which the order is sought, in order to prevent the execution of work that could dictate irreversible facts on the ground, even before the overall planning solution for the area is formulated.
According to National Infrastructure Plan 65A (NIP 65A), high-speed trains are planned to travel at speeds of up to 250 km/h through the Atlit Center, and in Haifa, a large underground station is planned to be built in the Hof Carmel area.
The petition claims that instead of investing approximately 3 billion NIS in the construction of the underground station in Hof Carmel, additional planning alternatives should be examined. The petition presents two main alternatives, emphasizing that there may be additional alternatives that are worthy of examination. The purpose of the legal proceeding is to ensure an orderly planning process within the framework of the 65B Law, in which the entire public will be able to participate, present their positions, and thoroughly examine alternatives before making irreversible decisions.
One of the alternatives presented in the petition proposes to preserve the existing train station in Hof Carmel in its current location, instead of building a new underground station at a cost of billions of shekels. As part of this alternative, a direct tunnel would be built to Kiryat HaMalala, according to the route proposed by Shmuel Gelbart (known as Alternative 10).
In addition, the alternative includes the construction of the "Sderah Tunnel" (Alternative 20), which is intended to serve as part of a broader transportation solution for the city of Haifa, while improving accessibility and reducing damage to the coastal landscape.
Another alternative presented in the petition proposes a complete evacuation of the Carmel Beach train station from the coastal area, instead of investing in building an underground station in its current location.
Under this approach, the station will be relocated to an alternative location that will preserve the coastline for the benefit of the public, while finding a transportation solution that is suitable for the long term. The goal of this alternative is to reduce environmental damage and free up the coastal strip for more open and accessible use by residents.
The petition claims that Alternative 102, which was promoted by Israel Railways – which includes four tracks inside tunnels that surround all of Haifa – is not economically feasible, and therefore, according to the petitioner, it is unlikely that it will be implemented in practice.
Accordingly, the petitioner believes that promoting Sub-district Planning Project 65A without an in-depth examination of other alternatives could lead to heavy investments in temporary infrastructure only, without resolving the issue of railway tracks along the Haifa coast in the future.
The petition was submitted by the Society and Environment Representatives Association (SEE), through attorney Dvir Langer.
The association works to promote urban and transportation planning that balances development needs with maintaining the quality of life and the environment, and in this case, seeks to prevent irreversible advancement of infrastructure projects before examining all possible alternatives.
You are invited to read the petition:
I cannot support the petition if it does not present our proposal, Alternative 10: a direct track in a tunnel from the Hof HaCarmel station to Kiryat HaMalma.
My name is Dov Halevi - former director of the planning department at the railway.
I will mention a number of facts related to Tel/65, which was arbitrarily split into Tel/65/A and Tel/65/B without conducting an environmental impact assessment in the Haifa marine environment section, contrary to the Planning and Building Law, as well as the importance and centrality of the Gulf Central Station.
1. Tel/65/A has been approved, and if it is indeed implemented, the existing tracks will be permanently abandoned as suburban tracks.
The land, starting north of the existing hotels, and south, in the most sensitive place in Haifa, with the addition of electricity poles
and acoustic walls, thus strengthening the barrier between the city and the seashore. All this is contrary to Haifa's demand to tunnel the entire
The existing and planned tracks, and in contradiction to the decision of the IDF that accepted Haifa's demand.
2. The current train travel time on the mandatory route, between Lev Hamifratz and Hof Carmel stations, which is a distance of
Between them is 12 km, lasting 19 minutes. This trip is unnecessary and wasteful for all passengers whose destination is the center,
To the south, and to the Ben Gurion Airport and Jerusalem area, since these two stations are at the same latitude, and therefore the journey between them
It does not advance them even one meter towards these goals.
3. The composition of the passengers who are their destination, including the residents of the north, north of the Hof Carmel station, among them
Residents of Kiryat Haim, residents of Kiryat Shmuel, and currently also residents of Neve Sha'anan and its surroundings and the neighborhoods above it and including
The various populations at the University of Haifa and the Technion whose cable car travel time to the Gulf Center, and/or in the section
The eastern side of the Carmel Tunnel, shorter than the trip to the Hof Carmel station. An estimated 50% of Haifa residents, 16%
They will prefer the Carmel Beach and the rest, it is not clear what they will prefer. The composition also includes residents of the East.
4. If Tel/65/A is implemented - travel time will be extended for residents of the North, the East and all those who come to the center.
The bay, which includes Haifa residents: Kiryat Haim, Kiryat Shmuel, Neve Sha'anan and the neighborhood above it, in order to
Travel by train to the center of the country and beyond, at least 13 minutes, because it will be necessary to change trains at the station
Carmel Beach for a high-speed train.
5. This means that these passengers will waste 32 minutes without moving even one meter towards their destination.
6. At the same time, a train will leave through a tunnel from the central part of the Bay to south of Haifa and connect to a high-speed rail line that will leave
From the Carmel Beach you will reach Tel Aviv in 28 minutes. This means that a traveler to Tel Aviv from the central area will already be in Tel Aviv for 4 minutes, before
The train left Carmel Beach for Tel Aviv.
7. In other words, the Haifa population that prefers the Bay Center will be harmed, in addition to the scenic damage due to the intensification
The barrier between the city and the sea.
8. In addition, a pit will be dug for a monstrous underground concrete station, in the coastal area and in seawater west of the station.
Carmel Beach is approximately 40 meters wide, 22 meters deep, and over half a kilometer long, with 4 high-speed rails and two
Island docks. In addition, the concrete monster will contain technical spaces and underground parking for approximately 1,100 private vehicles. And in addition
A parking lot on the ground in the coastal area for 4,500 private vehicles. All this at a cost of over 3 billion NIS
which is not necessary, as will be described below.
9. This station was preferred over the Gulf Central as a terminal station, despite the many advantages that the Gulf Central has,
That no other transportation center in the entire country has.
10. The immediate consequence of this is the increase in vehicle congestion that already exists at the Matam intersection, as well as waste of
Time for private vehicles to prefer to enter the underground parking lot due to the security check at the entrance to the parking lot,
And wasting time finding parking, and the long walk to the station entrance and down to the underground platforms.
Much if the station is operated properly. The priority given here to the private car instead of public transportation is a mistake.
Also of the railway, but mainly of the Ministry of Transportation
11. On the other hand, given the location of an underground station under Highway 4 close to the stadium on the eastern route
from the existing route. The station will include 2 tracks that will come from the north and will be used for both suburban trains and commuter trains.
Speed. And from this station they will split south into two high-speed lines and two suburban lines. The station will be cheap
Furthermore, no parking will be provided for private vehicles except for the parking available at the stadium, which is only available during games, and preference will be given to
Use of public transportation, just as it is done at the Gulf Central Station.
12. In addition, the barrier between the city and the heat of the sea will be removed once and for all.
13. Just a combination of a pair of tunnels from the Bay Center south for the high-speed trains, and a pair of tunnels from the Bay Center
Through the city for suburban trains and also high-speed trains to the Hof Carmel station, and only from there can they be
Speed (because within Haifa they are not capable of being fast) a solution will be provided for the required number of high-speed trains
At , and a solution for tunneling all the tracks in Haifa.
14. According to the railway's strategic plan, 14 high-speed trains per hour are needed to achieve the goal
of 300 million passengers a year.
15. Only by combining the direct double tunnel from the center of the bay and south can this goal be achieved, because within Haifa
No more than 10 trains can be transported per hour.
16. Also, the Gulf Center is located in the center of the Haifa jurisdictional boundaries and in the center of the core of the Haifa metropolis,
Therefore, it is preferable to the Carmel Beach station. Tama/75, which is adjacent to the Gulf Central Station, will add hundreds of thousands of residents.
For Haifa, employment areas and shelters.
17. In conclusion: In Tatel/65/B, two alternatives must be examined within the framework of an environmental impact assessment: Alternative 4
Tunnels in Haifa side by side as the railway advances, opposite 2 tunnels directly from the heart of the bay to the south and 2
Tunnels inside Haifa with an underground station under Highway 4 near the stadium. All this while using the Amot
Measures that support mass transit, and increasing the use of public transportation at the expense of private vehicle use.
I would like to congratulate Dvir on his path, and our path, to improving transportation in the northern region and preventing unprofitable investments, and on the other hand, the desire to improve the standard of living of Haifa residents with the "Central Avenue" plan, in which the train will pass through a tunnel under Mount Carmel at a speed of 250 km/h for the benefit of the entire northern region.
Receive a blessing for your labor.
What a dream country. How is it still not clear to everyone that a high-speed train will only be on straight tracks?
It's not a roller coaster, the twists and turns are not welcome, and there aren't many stations in Haifa. One central one is enough.
Well done for the fight! The tunnel is also important for residents of the far north in order to shorten the travel time to the center.
The Sderah Tunnel seems to be the best solution for the northern part of Israel.
There is a proposed route for a 2011 infrastructure tunnel to transport fuel lines from the Nahal Safon quarry to the Nesher area.
A geotechnical survey was carried out along the route, including drilling.
This route can be utilized for a high-speed rail tunnel and combine Haifa with its satellite cities (Tirat Carmel and Nesher) as a metropolis with two train stations – one in Tirat Carmel (Sapon) and the other in Nesher.
You can save a lot in the planning stages based on 2011 data.
Kudos to this lawyer, the residents of Haifa won. If they dug a tunnel for vehicles and it has a huge demand and if they want the train and public transportation to compete with private cars and be an alternative, it is clear that a tunnel needs to be dug for the train as well. Along the way, the beautiful beach will also be freed up, the economy and the region will develop. In the years that have been arguing about this, it would have been possible to finish the tunnels
Optimization suggestions:
Folk moves to finish or start
1. The grain
2. Harmony between residents and neighborhoods
3. Installation of solar roofs on public and private buildings
4. Feasibility of evacuating construction in the neighborhood
5. An old Egged Bat Galim switchboard
6. Dolphin bridge intersection
7. Bat Galim casino building
8. Nazareth light rail
9. Cruise to Acre
10. Gesher Bat Galim, Teilat Huldah Rambam Siyum
11. Haifa metropolis bike lanes
12. Svedra tunnel train or transfer through the Carmel tunnels
13. Beautiful sailing center Bat Galim Allenby
14. The Stella Maris cable car is part of public transportation and the addition of cable cars
15. Lower City Development
16. Opening the city to the sea .. a marina around the city
17. The opening of the German Colony Boulevard to the sea
18. Improvement of urban appearance, strengthening of buildings, evacuation, construction
19. Electrification of all vehicles and public transportation
20. Making places accessible to the disabled
21. Sea Research Building, improving visibility and sea view
22. Construction in gradual height... to allow the sea view and not block it
23. Bicycle and electric scooter rental throughout the city promotion
24. Polluting factories, making them non-polluting or moving them
25. Wonderful international airport
26. International cruise from Haifa to other countries of the world
27. Railway improvement of carriages and electrification
28. Extension of Hecht Park and stretching it at the beginning and end
29. Promotion of music, art and fusion between cultures
30. Mobile libraries.. an abstract idea.. mobile vans of libraries for renting books with coffee and internet points throughout the city
31. Health promotion and the health system in the city
32. Water sports
33. Amusement park attractions and such
34. Promotion of green energy, solar wind, sea waves and more
35. Promoting recycling
36. Solve the problem of pigs and dog poop in a proper way
37. Thanks
38. Separation road, Dolphin Junction, from train to cars
39. . . Property tax discount for the holder of a disabled card
There is no other choice: the train must be put underground. A huge underground station could be built under the parking lots of Sammy Ofer Stadium.
I grew up in Kiryat Haim and have lived in the center for more than 40 years. If Dvir Langer's logical proposal had been implemented back then, I would have seen my parents much more. Even today, despite some improvement, the Kiryat Haim are effectively cut off from the center. Langer's proposal would allow for such daily contact that it would be possible to work in the north and live in the center, or vice versa. Today, this is almost impossible.
It doesn't make sense to destroy the beaches of Haifa.
The formidable port has already taken away our access to the sea.
Now the high-speed train and the huge station will complete the act of folly and perpetuate the separation of the beautiful coastal city from the sea.
Dvir, you're obsessed. We get it, you want to have a private fast train straight from the Gulf Central Station, skipping all the Haifa stations and going straight to Tel Aviv.
Okay, I want a private train from home too. It doesn't work like that.
Haifa also has the Bat Galim station and the Merkaz Hasmona station. The cancellation of these stations would seriously harm the residents of Haifa. It won't happen, at least not until you retire.
So it's a waste of your time and money. Let go.
Father, I am not against a tunneling alternative in the western part of the city, which would pass through Bat Galim (for example, Stadium - Bat Galim - Kiryat HaMalaka).
Regarding Haifa Central Station, the plan (of Israel Railways and the Haifa Municipality) is to cancel this station and replace it with the Kiryat HaMalwa station.
As noted in the article, the petition is in favor of a process of examining alternatives.
Shabbat Shalom
A private train for him and the million residents of the north who might be able to escape the dubious status of residents of the periphery.
It's also faster for Carmel residents to get home from the Gulf Central Station, and the train ride to Haifa Station is even time-saving.