Haifa’s Subway Shuttered, but Fans See Light at End of Tunnel

On Monday night, a few dozen Haifa residents were sitting on rugs on the sidewalk, opposite the darkened Massada station of Haifa’s Carmelit subway system.

• Israel Needs a Transportation Movement

One after the other, people stood on a small platform (albeit not the train variety) to recite poetry. But this was not just another artists’ evening: All the poems were odes to the Carmelit. On the rugs and in the improvised coffee corner, all the talk was of the northern city’s mountain railway system, which has been closed for the past two weeks – ever since “tendons” in its cables broke.

The Carmelit is the only subway system in Israel. It was built between 1956 and 1959, and was initially in operation for 27 years, until 1986. It closed for six years when its systems became outdated, but reopened in 1992 after extensive renovations.

Via its six stations – Paris Square, Solel Boneh, Haneviim, Massada, Bnei Tzion and Gan Ha’em – the Lower City of Haifa is connected to the Downtown area midway up Mount Carmel, and upward to the main neighborhood at the top of the mountain.

According to its official website, the Carmelit has about a million travelers annually. It is mainly a service for local residents, but is not profitable and actually loses money. But the journeys are quick and without traffic jams or parking hassles.

But it’s more than just a means of transportation. “There’s something nostalgic about it,” says Mor Hover, a poet and poetry editor for Haifa Magazines, which initiated the evening’s tribute.

“For everyone who lives here, their first time on the Carmelit was when they were children on school vacation. A month ago, before it closed down, I saw a family riding it. The kids were ecstatic. It’s a train that travels underground!”

The first Carmelit was built with the assistance of a French company and an expert from the Paris Metro, which is how Paris Square got its name. In the 1960s and ’70s, the Carmelit was a real tourist attraction for Israelis.

“After 23 years in which the Carmelit has been in operation [since the relaunch], this is the first time we’ve had to shut it down,” said Carmelit CEO Avishai Hadar.

“We had a few tendons in a cable that tore, and as a result we called on a Swiss inspector and a Swiss repair company to fix the cable. Based on their assessment and that of the Technion, the cable can’t be used right now and will have to be replaced.”

According to Hadar, such a cable – made of steel – is a kilometer long and takes at least eight weeks to manufacture, plus another two or three weeks to install. “We’ll be closed for about 13 to 14 weeks unfortunately,” he said.

Twenty-something Na’ama Schwartz grew up on Mount Carmel. She reveals another aspect, almost forgotten, in this burst of nostalgia and art. As a child, she said, the Carmelit was mainly the butt of jokes, and her parents and friends’ parents wouldn’t let them ride it down “to the crime neighborhoods.”

She appreciated it now, added Schwartz, chiefly as a symbol of unfulfilled potential.

Hover reminded those in attendance that the Carmelit dictates aspects of life for many people in Haifa, such as choice of residence and daily schedule. “Lots of events during the week are set by the Carmelit,” he noted, mentioning that as the Carmelit stops its service at midnight, that’s also when local events conclude. “At midnight it turns into a pumpkin,” he added.

Eyal Levkovitz, the owner of bookstore Goldmund Books, which hosted the event, returned to the practical side of things, saying, “This is the public transportation that’s needed here.”

At the end of the evening, Hover thanked the participants and turned a sorrowful eye toward the darkened station across the street. He predicted that the subway would reopen in another four or five months, and that, meanwhile, people could get their “butts into better shape” by doing more walking around Haifa.