Hi,
During Sukkot, we visited the Israel railway museum, but that itself for another post. But the way we got there by getting a train to Haifa East train station.
The station is no longer active, and only to get there is by entering the Train Museum. But in Sukkot and Passover, the train station comes back to life, and you can get to the Train Museum by it (you do not even have to get to a special platform like 9 3/4 or such)
There are many stations in Israel that are no longer used (Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem) . Some of those were kept and now used as commercial centers (mainly in the big cities: Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Beer Sheva). The rest were just abandon. You might see some structures in place, but in some, even those can not be found (like along the Valley railway).
Haifa East station was the first station of the Valley railway, which was a branch of the Hejaz railway and Haifa first train station (built during the Ottoman rule on the country)
It was a magnificent station with a beautiful main building. During the British mandate, it was the only train station with trains to 3 different contentions: Africa (Egypt), Asia (Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arab), and Europe (Turkey).
The main building was blown on 20.9.1946 by the Etzel, and only a small part of it was preserved.
The station last used was during 1990s’, The structures are now used for the Israel railway museum, maintenance buildings, and offices buildings for Israel train.
Since 1937, it has not been Haifa station, but Haifa East (when Haifa Center had opened), this Since 1995, it is even not Haifa eastern station (it is Kiryat Haim railway station)
Take Care
Gad
Haifa East train station, looking from the railways, what left of the buildings along the main road. The building was originally built for the finance department.
The building (from the other side) during the Ottoman time (Source: he.shimoor.com)
The full train building from 1920 (Source: he.shimoor.com)
The same picture now days (without the majorty of the main building, that had been exploded on 1946) (Source: Google maps)
The memorial column, the machinery shed, and the commerce warehouse – 1908 (Source: he.shimoor.com)
The trains workshop on the station – 1931 (Source: he.shimoor.com)
The results of the Etzel attack on the station on September 16th 1946 (Source: he.shimoor.com)