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Closely watched trains By Noam Dvir Tags: trains, Israel In 1996, an ostentatious ceremony celebrated the opening of the Shalom train station in Tel Aviv, marking the first phase in the much-needed face-lift of Israel Railways. This iconic building, which overlooks the Ayalon Highway, is the perfect complement to the city's most conspicuous contemporary monument: the Azrieli Towers. Its wavy metal roof projects a feeling of dynamism, while also linking the site to the big American and European train stations of a century ago, which boasted vast metal-and-glass roofs over their platforms. The Shalom station put the train on the map, say architects who are designing new stations around the country. But the economic burden was heavy, the budget lacked all proportion, and even the beautiful and successful design, which drew much praise, could not persuade Israel Railways to go on building stations of salient architectural character with an urban presence. "The Shalom station was a budgetary trauma for Israel Railways," says architect Uzi Gordon, who designed the Hof Hacarmel and Lev Hamifratz stations in Haifa. "It cost 10 times what they originally thought. On the day I got the commission to design Hof Hacarmel, they told me in no uncertain terms: 'No more.' They had no intention of getting involved in a replay of the budgetary hell they endured during the Shalom project. From now on, they said, everything will be done on a modest scale." Advertisement Recalls architect Saadia Mandel, who designed the Tel Aviv University station: "I didn't have much in the way of guidelines when I was working on the design, but also not much in the way of a budget. They were still traumatized by the Shalom station." Israel Railways began to flourish in the mid-1990s: The crowded highways, accelerated suburbanization, desire for access to outlying areas and initial awareness of environmental issues persuaded the government to invest tens of billions of shekels to develop the rail network. While tracks were laid, it became necessary to upgrade some old stations and build new ones. The underlying principle: construction of simple, efficient spaces, in which people would not spend a lot of time, rather than expensive monumental stations that have real presence. The design of train stations is a small, competitive market. Israel Railways organizes closed tenders among a few architectural firms and thus young architects have little chance to be part of the process. In recent years, fewer than 10 firms have been commissioned to plan the new face of Israel Railways, some of them designing one or two stations, others given the task of designing the stations along whole train lines. According to the railway company, there are two criteria for choosing the design: quality and cost. But with quality already embedded in the terms of the tender, as dictated by the Planning and Building Law, and mandated by the past experience of the company, cost becomes the decisive factor. Planners of the stations have to go through an exhausting bureaucratic process and then meet the strict terms of Israel Railways and of the relevant local authorities. The scale of the construction and the budgetary allocation are determined by the size of the community to be served and the expected volume of passengers. "You don't want to build grandiose stations," explains Yariv Katz, Israel Railways' deputy general manager for infrastructure. "You can't build the Bnei Brak station as though it were Hod Hasharon, because they each respond to different needs. The financial aspect cannot be ignored, either. It is a pipe dream to think that every station can be an architectural gem. When you build a train station, you have to take into account its maintenance as well. If an architect says he wants to build a station using marble from India and tiling from Italy, I tell him to calm down. The same goes for an architect who wants to use Hebron marble or install a stainless-steel banister made from some alloy he saw in a journal. Sometimes there is a clash, and the architect is frustrated, but we are the people in charge and we hand out the commissions. A train station is constantly being used and we have to ensure that it works perfectly: There is nothing more frustrating than a station that doesn't function as it should." 1. Be'er Sheva The new train station at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva was awarded a design citation and prize by an Israeli architecture magazine, and was financed in part by private funding. "Everyone calls it the 'Braverman station,' because it was always my vision, my mania," admits MK Avishay Braverman (Labor), former president of the university. Prof. Braverman's lengthy tenure was marked at the university by a surge in development, generous donations and economic prosperity. The number of students soared from 6,000 to 18,000, and new buildings sprang up on the campus. But the main problem remained: how to ensure that the young students would remain in the south after graduating. "The central idea is that on one side, you have a university, in the middle a rail line and on the other side a high-tech park," Braverman explains excitedly. "People asked me why a new station was needed when there was already one 800 meters down the line, but they couldn't see the project's attractiveness. To arrive like this, and simply enter the university, is a whole different experience. All the high-tech cities were built around industrial parks and a university, and we already have that. For me, the train connects it all: You enter the university from the Dalet neighborhood, cross the bridge, enter the technological park and create a startup." The university station was co-designed by architects Danny Lazar and Dafna Matok, and was built as part of a comprehensive development project for the eastern section of the campus. The two had already designed the train station in the Ganei Aviv neighborhood in Lod. Not many architects are privileged to create a "living museum" of their work, like Lazar: In addition to the station, he designed a covered bridge for pedestrians that leads to the entrance of the university, the entry structure to the campus and its abutting pedestrian walkway, and the impressive new building of the department of physics, whose roof is adorned with an observatory. A few decades earlier, when he was working for the renowned architect Ram Carmi, he also designed the expansion of the adjacent student dorms. In his Tel Aviv office, Lazar uses a pen to sketch the general scheme of the site. He draws long lines from the university to the city center and northward, and explains how the station is intended to foment urban renewal amid the desert dunes. Lazar: "We were bothered by the fact that the station is effectively cut off from the city, so we drafted a construction plan for the whole region, showing our perception of how the city should develop. I think train stations can be a jumping-off point for development that revolves around the large-scale movement of people. Abroad, cities generally developed around main thoroughfares, but in Israel the train came in only after the city already existed, so the stations were situated on the fringes." In contrast to other plans submitted in the design competition, Lazar and Matok presented one placing the station at the end of a bustling avenue, which is connected to Ben-Gurion Road in Be'er Sheva. They built a 300-meter-long supporting wall along the street as a boundary for the station and a future plaza; the station itself, a large glass cube, abuts this wall. Because the tracks are four meters above street level, the opportunity arose to build a pedestrian underpass that leads to the future high-tech area. "In practice, we built the station around the concept of regional construction. All the structures and designs are our inventions," says Lazar, "but we think Be'er Sheva needed these things." The station has a functional appearance, and the platform that serves the line to Tel Aviv is covered and air-conditioned, in contrast to the overwhelming majority of the country's train stations, in which the passengers must wait in an area exposed to the elements. "We borrowed that idea from the Bat Galim station in Haifa, where there is a kind of pleasant covered lobby that allows people to see the approaching train." To protect the inner spaces from the blazing desert sun, metal slats were hung on the glass facades to filter the sun's rays, and at the same time create a fascinating play of light and shadow. The use of exposed concrete recalls the unofficial construction material of the city. The station, whose successful design was enabled in part by generous university funding, integrates well into a series of structures in Be'er Sheva which have become milestones of local architecture, such as the experimental neighborhood with the quarter-kilometer block designed by Avraham Yaski, Ram Carmi's Negev Center and the Negev Monument by Danny Karavan. Does the station work? Lazar relates that he gets positive feedback from Israel Railways and from passengers. "Of course, the station manager has all kinds of problems, and whenever I get off there he spots me immediately and starts to grumble that the air-conditioning isn't working or that it's hard to clean the floor. Those are maintenance problems, and they reflect the fact that there is no connection in Israel Railways between the planning branch and the passenger branch. For example, the architect is not asked where to put the advertising posters, and the location of the water tap is decided, in the end, by the person I call 'the guy with the drill.' That hurts the station in many ways, and in some cases destroys it altogether. Our good fortune is that this station is large enough so people don't see all the nonsense. But contact with Israel Railways as a body is not so great, because the moment you hand over the station, they ruin it." A company spokesman says that these are marginal problems: "Every architect has to provide maintenance specifications for the station, and we know that today's public is demanding ever higher standards. If there are specific issues, they should certainly be dealt with." 2. Tel Aviv "I know that most people will not accept this, but Jews and trains just don't get along," says Saadia Mandel, one of Israel's leading architects. "It's a matter of mystique. Israeli trains in no way evoke the Nazis' cattle cars, but something in the subconscious stops us from developing the rail system." Mandel's explanation for public and governmental inattention to the railroad and for the authorities' hesitation to allocate budgets for its development, is accompanied by a further argument: "The dominant motif is shortsightedness. No matter which government is in power, the trains always belong to it, whereas private automobiles belong to me and you. Political forces are very influential in regard to development, and our backwardness is related to the backwardness of the rail system here." The Tel Aviv University train station, designed by Mandel, opened in 2000. It is the northernmost point on the rail line running parallel to the Ayalon Highway, which cuts through the city. Israel Railways had a hard time deciding where to build the station: on KKL Avenue, Rokach Avenue, or on the site of the late lamented drive-in movie theater. In the end, a site was chosen that would benefit both sides of the track: Tel Aviv University on the west and the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds on the east. The city would also get added value in the form of an open passageway for the public beneath the freeway. In contrast to the other stations along the Ayalon, the passenger terminal was built underground here, restricting the station's urban presence to two long platforms and a green roof that is clearly visible from the adjacent Ramat Aviv neighborhood. "We had quite a few battles with Israel Railways about the parts of the station that are intended to give the public a feeling of comfort. We were unable to persuade them to build another bathroom for people who come to pick up a relative or friend and don't have a ticket," Mandel notes. Disagreements also erupted over the station's commercial potential. Mandel had in mind the European model, which includes a cafe and shops, but because the station is classified by law as a "transportation facility," no authorization was given. There was also a trenchant argument about how the university would be accessed. A system of escalators or a cable car that would connect the university to the station were ruled out, and in the end the passengers have to walk up 80 steep steps, a dubious solution in summer heat or wintry cold. On the walls of Mandel's intimate office in Rishpon, north of Tel Aviv, hang images of projects he has designed during his 50-year career. One of the founders of the Society for the Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites, he is responsible for some of the most important preservation projects in the country: Acre, Safed and the Yemin Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem. The convex shape of the hanging green roof above the university train station also seems to evoke an Ottoman or Arab building. Mandel: "I had no specific shape in mind, other than the image of the train stations in Europe, but we definitely thought of creating a covered area. This is not just another stop on the way from Tel Aviv to Haifa, but also a transit station for the Rosh Ha'ayin line. "Accordingly, we thought of covering the entire waiting area, including the section above the railway line itself, to create a welcoming feeling. We arrived at the final shape of the roof after many sketches; we had to maintain a certain height above the platforms and also preserve an option for future electricity lines." In this country, though, reality has a way of clashing with dreams. In this station, too, the elegant design is swallowed up in an unfortunate chaos of advertising posters and dirt. "I think there is not enough emphasis in the stations on creating a place," notes Mandel. "The stations are the new places of civic encounter, and an opportunity is being missed by not treating them as such. Bombastic architecture is not called for here, because the main show is the encounter between people. If the stations were pleasant places, they would have a wonderful potential for becoming lively, vibrant sites." 3. Modi'in Central Modi'in Central is an intriguing station that was recently opened. Its modest entrance from the city square does not hint at the impressive underground passenger hall: a two-sided space illuminated by natural light. The effect created by the almost mysterious entrance is palpable. From the entrance, escalators descend to the terminal, and from there more escalators lead to the platform level, which is 15 meters below ground. A glass balcony allows passengers to view the platforms from the terminal and to see approaching trains. In addition to the engineering problems that were entailed in the deep excavation here, the planners - Haifa architects Avraham Curiel and Dina Ammar - had to deal with the emission of the toxic gases of the engines and cars from within the tunnel, and lay the foundations for the construction of a future nine-story office building above the station. "The aim of the large terminal is to let in light and heighten the sense of orientation," Curiel explains. "The entrance may be through a small space, but then passengers move directly into a very large hall, which recalls the big train stations, such as [Manhattan's] Grand Central. It was important for us to create an association with the image that people have in their mind of famous train stations." Modi'in Central is the first of a series of underground stations due to be built in the years ahead, which will make it possible to bring the train into the heart of the cities. Currently in the planning stage is the station at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, where platforms will be some 80 meters underground. In Tel Aviv, five underground stations - also being designed by Curiel and Ammar - are being planned for the light-rail system. The new station in Modi'in is only one element of the city's main transportation center, and not an urban landmark in itself. Alongside and above it, commercial structures will be built, along with a central bus station and educational and cultural institutions. If in other stations the exterior presence and the passenger hall are the most prominent design elements, in Modi'in the station has to be "read" from the inside out - taking into consideration the totality of the unusual engineering and design elements. Beyond the use of Israeli sunlight that penetrates the station as part of the planning design, durable materials were used to preserve its handsome appearance. Curiel: "A train station has to project the spirit of the place you arrive at. The Louvre station in the Paris Metro, for example, is designed in line with the museum. That is what we strove for here as well - an image of stone, a centralized city with centralized public spaces. When you arrive in a station that is made of the same materials and fashioned from the same thoughts, it feels good. These days, with the train's popularity, the stations have to symbolize the specific place in some way." 4. Rosh Ha'ayin Eyal Netzer, a 22-year-old video editor, plies the Tel Aviv-Rosh Ha'ayin line three times a week. Travel time: 25 minutes. By comparison, the trip by car can take up to an hour and a half at peak times. "The train is a revolution," he says. "It's a whole different world. Before, I had to wait for the bus from Rosh Ha'ayin, which comes maybe twice in the morning and twice in the evening, or take a bus to Petah Tikva and from there to Tel Aviv. It's a different world." Like Modi'in, which lies halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Rosh Ha'ayin, a city of some 40,000 that is about 20 kilometers east of Tel Aviv, has seen accelerated development and rising real-estate prices in the wake of the train's arrival. Until three years ago, the city was served by an old station that was too remote to be attractive or to constitute a serious transportation alternative. The new station, which is located at the Qassem Junction, is intended to serve the surrounding communities, too, and plans exist to build an adjacent industrial and commercial center. The new station lies in the heart of farm country, and in the absence of urban reference points, one of the central tasks of the architect Bat Sheva Sherman, from the firm of Eisenberg Sherman, was to create a point of reference in an open space. "We wanted to connect the station to a feeling of the soil, so we used terra-cotta bricks," she says, adding that the idea was to assert "I am here and I am a train, and don't mistake this for some other building." The spacious, well-lit passenger terminal is covered by a convex roof that lends the station an industrial, high-tech appearance and alludes to its function on both the inside and the outside. Also prominent is a clock tower, another common feature of train stations, which in this case also houses the electricity and machinery rooms. The reddish brick facade is accompanied by gray lines, which emphasize the horizontal flow of the station and the railway line. Sherman: "The design is very functional, and you can see from a distance that this building has a public role and is intended to draw people to it, as the gateway to the metropolitan area from the periphery. A train station is like a machine, and has to be very fast and clear. Anyone who enters has to know immediately where everything is. I think that the Rosh Ha'ayin station truly creates a readable space." Fifteen years ago, Eisenberg Sherman had already drawn up a plan for land usage along the suburban rail line, for the Israel Lands Administration. The main points of the line's development were first made public in Haaretz: "Bus terminals in industrial zones and their integration with the train stations; also parking lots and new access roads will be built, and cafes and supermarkets will open, while some of the planned residential neighborhoods will be relocated." Much of this plan was been implemented, and the firm has become one of Israel's leading designers of train stations. Its projects include the upgrading of the Rosh Ha'ayin South and Bnei Brak stations, and the design of two stations in Holon, Komemiyut and Yoseftal. The latter, scheduled to open in 2011, recalls Rosh Ha'ayin North in its use of red bricks, meant to stand out amid the gray concrete wall of the Ayalon Highway, as well as the familiar clock tower. 5. Lev Hamifratz In recent years, Israel Railways has been making an effort to leverage the commercial potential of the train stations and their surroundings: The company holds some of the most expensive land in the city centers, and with the sword of budgetary cuts hovering above developers every year, additional sources of income are a necessity. The Azrieli Center in Tel Aviv was the first to forge a connection between the Shalom station and the shopping mall in its towers, by means of a metal-and-glass bridge above the Ayalon Highway. There are ticket machines in the mall, for the convenience of travelers, and there is no doubt that both sides are profiting from the arrangement. An example of planning that took this model of privatization too far is the Lev Hamifratz train station in Haifa. The Lev Hamifratz Mall, which recently changed its name to Cinemall - a controversial move that drew public criticism - is strategically located at the Checkpost Junction, east of the railway line. It was not until 2000 that the management identified one of the crucial resources available to it. The mall provided the funds to build the train station, while Israel Railways committed itself to see to services and upkeep. "No one expected that the station would be so successful," says Nitzan Ariel, the mall's general manager. "Originally, it was supposed to be a small station, but, on average, 5,000 people pass through here daily [out of 25,000 who visit the mall every day]. It's convenient for many people, because the central bus station is right next to us, and so is the Haifa-Nahariya highway. The mall itself and the cinema complex we recently installed here attract large numbers of people." In the past, the station could be accessed from the parking lot as well, but management blocked this entrance in order to force passengers to go through the mall. Don't you think that is a manipulative move? Ariel: "If we were the ones who funded the station, then it is all right, and Israel Railways also has no objections. Think of it as a duty-free area. The mall's shops and services only add to the experience. I think people prefer to go through a place like this rather than a parking lot." Architect Uzi Gordon, who designed both the mall and the train station, also finds nothing objectionable in this setup: "The practical and respectable entrance is from above. The lower entry option is less accessible to people and is quite ugly. The fact that the mall is exploiting this is fine." The design of this station is minimalistic. Its cost of about NIS 6 million is far less than the investment in new stations, which range from NIS 20 million to NIS 150 million. Only the most essential elements were built - platforms, elevators and escalators - because the passenger terminal is in the mall. A pedestrian bridge, whose design quality is arguable, connects the mall with the platforms. The elevators are in a shaft created by two large concrete pillars. For the passenger, then, the primary experience is the mall. On the other side of Checkpost Junction, Gordon is now planning one of the most interesting projects in the transportation sphere: a new terminal that will integrate the planned light-rail system of Haifa, a station for the planned Jezreel Valley rail line and the coastal line, a central bus station and also a cable car that will access the University of Haifa and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. The initial plan has already been approved, and the National Infrastructures Planning Committee is now examining its feasibility. W W W Despite Israel Railways' ambitious development plans (see box), architecture sometimes appears to be only an adjunct to the planning of the stations. The railroad is a leading transportation facilitator in the country, and the decisions made by Israel Railways, together with the attendant architecture, have equivalent cultural-social-economic significance. For their part, the architects are divided over the question of whether a train station should be an architectural showcase or simply a structure that one passes through. "The budgets for building the stations are a minuscule fraction of the infrastructure cost," Danny Lazar says. "From the budget viewpoint, it is immaterial whether you allot a minuscule fraction or even tinier fraction, but that is exactly what can make the difference." A different view is held by Bat Sheva Sherman: "Not every station has to be a Calatrava," she notes, referring to Santiago Calatrava, the famed Spanish architect who has designed many stations, as well as the "Bridge of Strings" at the entrance to Jerusalem. "All in all, we are talking about a machine that has to adapt itself to its surroundings. Israel Railways has budgetary restrictions. Think about the budgets Calatrava gets for a station - it's a pipe dream. If more resources were available, we would certainly see a different architecture, but the question is whether we need to create an impression in a building that is, all in all, functional in nature." Dina Ammar offers yet another explanation as to why train stations are not part of architectural discourse: "Do you know what interests the average passenger? The distance between the parking lot and the entrance, and from the platform to the train, and whether there is shade on the platform. If you give him those three conditions, he will remember the experience positively. In the end, the experience in a train station is mainly one of people in a hurry, who are interested in convenience."W Bookmark to del.icio.us   'I didn't kill Rose' Rose's mother, grandfather request court delay autopsy of body found in Yarkon River. Israeli requests Israel asks U.S. for arms and permission to use an air corridor to attack Iran.

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