Last Updated on August 19, 2021
Haifa underground ‘The Carmelit’ closed due to fire damage
The Haifa underground subway system – The Carmelit, is temporarily closed. The closure is expected to last anywhere between 6 – 12 months.
A fire which broke out on Saturday, February 4th, 2017 caused extensive damage to both coaches.
At this point there is no clear cause of the fire but authorities said that the fire was most likely caused by a technical or electrical malfunction. The cause is still under investigation.
The damage from the fire is estimated to cost tens of millions of shekels to repair.
Now that the Carmelit is integrated with the Haifa Metropolin and Rav Kav transport system and the transport tariff reform, it is a very practical, fast and economical way of getting from the Central Carmel to Haifa’s downtown area.
It was reported that since the Carmelit was incorporated into the Rav Kav transport system, the number of passengers using the Carmelit increased by around 50 per cent.
Update:12 March 2017
For regular Carmelit passengers who are anxiously waiting for repairs to be complete, the latest update is that although Haifa Municipality has started the refurbishing process, they are still waiting for a quote for the major repairs from an Italian company. A quote has been received from a Swiss company.
