Carmelit

The Carmelite (Hebrew כרמלית, often in the style similar to the English spelling Carmelit ) is the only subway in Israel. It operates in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa. Operator is Ha Carmelit Haifa Ltd..

The name of the subway is derived from the Carmel Mountains, in the northern slope of the tunnel of the Carmelite runs. It is only a single line with about 1.8 km length and six stations on the two trains, each with two cars every few minutes run in opposite directions. In order for the metro of Haifa only by the Istanbul Tunel and the metro station Serfaus ( Austria ) is undercut; because in Istanbul but two other metro systems exist, the Carmelite the second smallest metro system in the world.

A special feature of the Carmelite is the great difference in altitude of about 275 m on their short track length, corresponding to an average slope of about 15 %. To overcome this height, the train was realized as a funicular; the carriages are attached to a steel cable. The Carmelite is, like most funicular railways, operated as a single track with a passing loop in the middle.

The Carmelite was built by a French company in 1956. After several years of closure and subsequent renovation it was reopened in September 1992.

In city traffic, the Carmelite plays only a minor role, as it runs along the edge of today's urban centers and is hardly involved in the public bus system of Buskooperative Egged. The significance, however, could be improved with the commissioning of the track bus system Metronit that at the stop Kikar Paris ( Paris Square ) will be linked to the Carmelite.